


Slipping

by thefarcry



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Drinking, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Internalized Homophobia, M/M, Slow Build, So much angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-09-21
Updated: 2015-07-04
Packaged: 2018-02-18 05:29:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 29,587
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2336882
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thefarcry/pseuds/thefarcry
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ukai is content with, or rather resigned to, his life.  He knows what he can and cannot have, and he knows what is and is not worth risking.  Until one day he meets someone that makes him question just how sure he really is.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So this is something I kind of decided to write on impulse. I'm not entirely sure how often I'll update. I'll try to keep it regular, since this is an exercise in trying to get back into writing, but with school I'm not sure how well that will work out. Anyways, I've always thought Ukai and Takeda would be so adorable, so i thought up this AU. Thanks for reading!

The doors to the gym are locked. Of _course_ they are. Ukai curses under his breath, glancing around for anyone who could help him. His bad luck continues when he spots no one. Groaning in frustration, Ukai tries kicking the door in hopes that someone on the other side will hear him, but the boxes in his arms sway dangerously enough to nearly throw him off balance, promptly forcing him to stop. He peeks around the boxes to glare at the door, and with a final huff he turns and makes for the front entrance of the high school.

_That door is never locked,_ he grumbles silently. _Why start now? Especially since he knows I'm coming._

He doesn't have to think as he weaves his way through the school, his feet remembering exactly where to go from the time when they would tromp through these halls every day. Memories of his old friends and teachers flow through his head, and soon he is lost in nostalgia as he walks on mindlessly. The way is clear of students, as school was let out some time ago, so Ukai isn't looking when he turns a corner near the gym entrance. There is a cry of panic, then something heavy slams into him and sends him sprawling on the floor. One of the boxes lands on his face, and the other skids several feet away.

“I am so sorry!” The voice is choked with mortification, and there is a scrabbling sound as if someone is crawling across the floor. “I didn't know anyone was there! Oh, god, are you alright?”

Hands grab Ukai's arm momentarily before they are removed to lift the box, which he had been too stunned to remove himself, off of his face. Something warm is running down towards his mouth, and he groans as he lifts a hand to wipe at his nose. Opening his eyes slightly, he lets out a soft “Oh” at the streak of red running over his fingers.

“Oh, _god_ , I'm so sorry!”

Ukai clamps a hand over his nose and sits up before looking at the person kneeling next to him. The boy has his face buried in his hands, but Ukai can still see the flaming red of his ears that peek out from beneath messy dark hair. His frame is tiny and narrow underneath a too big green track jacket, and the length of his black tie has twisted up and wrapped half way around his neck. Probably a third year, Ukai guesses, though he can't be sure without seeing his face. He sighs somewhat dramatically as the boy begins to bow at lightning speed and continue to apologize.

“It's fine, I'll live,” Ukai grumbles around his hand, and he sniffs sharply only to wince with regret as he feels the blood trickling down his throat.

“Here, take this,” the boy says quickly, and he shoves something into Ukai's free hand. A tissue. With a grunt of thanks, Ukai pushes it up his nose and leans his head back, only to have it yanked back down a moment later.

“Sorry,” the boy says sheepishly, covering his face again as Ukai shoots him a glare, “but it'll stop faster if you keep your head down.”

Ukai nods reproachfully. “Alright, man, but next time just say something, there's no need to go ripping my hair out.”

If possible, the boy's face goes even more red, and he looks down with his hands removed from his face to clasp in his lap. Ukai studies his face, determining that he must be at least a third year, if not a first year in college or older. But if that were the case, why would he be at Karasuno?

“Why were you in such a rush anyways?” he asks instead.

The boys looks back up, the blush still burning bright, and Ukai's breath nearly catches in his throat as he sees him fully for the first time. The boy's warm eyes, such a deep brown they nearly look black, peer up at him through thick glasses frames. His eyes appear to be magnified by the lenses so that they are almost too big for his round face, but it somehow works to make the boy look unbelievably adorable—much more adorable than Ukai should find a high school third year. Ukai tries to stop himself from trailing his gaze from those beautiful eyes down to the button nose and thin lower lip trapped between straight white teeth. He fails miserably. However, he is snapped out of his trance as the boy replies, “I was running late for—oh no! Volleyball practice!”

He scrambles to his feet, tripping over his own hands several times in the process. He looks about ready to dash away before he suddenly stills and glances at Ukai shamefully.

“But that can wait,” he murmurs. “Where do you need to be?”

His question doesn't register for a moment as Ukai stares at him in disbelief, momentarily distracted from his oddly good looks. This kid plays volleyball? Cute as he may be, he doesn't look like he has a string of muscle on him, and from what Ukai can tell he lacks any amount of athletic ability. Shaking his head, Ukai pushes himself to his feet and picks up one of the boxes while the boy dashes over to retrieve the other one.

“I'm actually on my way there, too,” Ukai answers. “I have some stuff to deliver to the coach. I'm from Foothill Store,” he explains.

The boy's face lights up in realization. “Oh! You're Coach's grandson, right? He mentioned you would be coming today.”

“Then why did he lock the goddam gym doors?” Ukai grumbles as he begins to walk toward the gym.

The boy laughs nervously as he half jogs to keep up with him. Ukai slows his pace when he sees just how short the other is, and his chest warms with endearment at the poor kid's embarrassed lopsided smile of gratitude. Ukai looks away with a scowl, reprimanding himself for allowing himself to go soft on some high schooler. A _high schooler_.

_Damn it..._

“There have been some problems with break-ins recently,” the boy is explaining, “and now the principle wants all doors other than the front entrance locked outside of certain windows of time. The rule was implemented just today, actually, so I guess it was just bad luck that you came today.”

Ukai laughs dryly. “Yeah, that seems to be the pattern of my day.”

The blush returns to the third year's cheeks as his steps falter slightly and he looks at the ground, and Ukai feels a stab of guilt. “Hey, I didn't mean-”

He stops as they turn through the gymnasium doors. It's like being hit in the face with a hammer. The room looks almost exactly the same as before, alive with moving bodies running and jumping as a harsh voice's commands echo about them. In that moment, Ukai painfully feels more than ever like he is back in high school, getting ready to join his teammates on the court for another afternoon of grueling but amazing practice.

“Keishin! At last,” his grandfather shouts from across the room. He is standing at the side of the court, his arms crossed and his scowl as grim as ever. He motions for his grandson to come.

“TAKE-CHAN!”

The noise in the gym dies down slightly as the players stop their practice. One of them, a lanky kid with a monk cut, runs over and nearly tackles the boy next to Ukai to the ground.

“Tanaka-kun, please!” the boy pleads almost desperately. “Not while I'm holding something.”

“Hey, Take-chan!” another player shouts, and the greeting is echoed all around.

“Oi! Did I say you could stop?” Coach Ukai bellows, and the team immediately gets back to work. “Tanaka, get back on the court!”

“Yessir!” Monk Cut grins at Take(? Ukai supposes is his name) and salutes his coach before jumping back in with the rest.

“Ah, Takeda, I see you have decided to join us today,” Coach Ukai says as they stop next to him. “Though, you know I have told you it's not necessary for you to come to practices.”

_Ouch_. Ukai nearly flinches at the harsh words. Is this Takeda really that bad at volleyball? Even so, it's not like his grandfather to give up on a player. He glances over at the boy, but he seems surprisingly unbothered, waving off the comment with a quiet chuckle.

“I know, but I feel like I'll be more useful if I get to know the sport better,” Takeda says. “And I'd like to get to know all the players, too.”

The coach shrugs. “Whatever you say, Sensei.”

Ukai's eyebrows nearly fly off his face at this. Sensei? This kid was a teacher? He glanced over at Takeda, and it all suddenly makes sense. He thought he looked too old to be a high schooler, but a teacher? _Must be new to the school._

“Anyways, thank you for helping Keishin with the boxes,” Coach says, yanking Ukai from his thoughts. “You can put them over by the benches.”

“Sure thing,” Takeda says brightly, and he begins to walk where instructed. Ukai follows momentarily, his thoughts moving fast. Takeda isn't as young as he originally thought. Guilt washed away from his mind, he allows himself to study the other man's body. It's not particularly impressive, much more scrawny than anyone Ukai has ever found attractive, and his movements are clumsy and self-conscious. Like he knows he's being watched. The teacher glances over his shoulder at Ukai, who immediately tears his gaze away from the other man's ass which he certainly did _not_ find to be quite marvelous and had definitely _not_ been admiring, and smiles uncertainly. Ukai wills himself not to blush and instead responds to the smile with a curt nod. He quickly dumps his box onto the bench and returns to his grandfather's side, determined to not look at the adorable teacher with the cute butt any more before his interest becomes obvious. The last thing he needs is the coach finding out about his...preferences.

“What happened to your face?” Coach asks Ukai, who reaches up to touch the tissue that is still hanging from his nostrils.  He forgot it was there. 

“Ah, he, uh, ran into me, actually,” Takeda says as he joins them. “Or rather, I ran into him. I didn't want to be late to practice and didn't watch where I was going.”

Coach _humph_ ed disbelievingly. “Oh, don't be so hard on yourself, Sensei. I'm sure it was just as much Keishin's fault. He's been known to not look ahead.”

Ukai's face grows warm at the implication, and he has to bite his lip to stop himself from saying something he would regret.

“Oh, no no, it was all my fault this time,” Takeda insists. “Ukai-kun was carrying both boxes, he could barely see in front of him so he couldn't have noticed me approaching.” The teacher either didn't understand Ukai's grandfather's words or he is choosing not to pay attention. For some reason, Ukai feels it is the latter. His embarrassment magnifies.

“Well, Gramps, it's always good to see you,” he says with poorly forced sincerity, “but I need to get back to the shop. Can't leave Ma alone too long or she starts giving out free food.”

He turns to leave, but he is stopped when a strong grip takes a hold of his arm.

“Now hold on a minute,” Coach scowls. “I asked you to come here for a reason today.”

“Yeah, I know, you wanted some healthy snacks for the team so they don't load up on sugar over the weekend before the first practice match,” Ukai says. “It's the same every year.”

“Actually, I was hoping to talk to you about something else while you were here,” Coach says. “It's rather important.”

Ukai's curiosity is spiked, but not more than the bitterness he is feeling. “You should've said something before, then. I didn't make time to stay longer than drop off the boxes. Sorry, but I have to go. Some other time, maybe.”

Coach watches him for a moment, clearly unconvinced. He looks like he is going to argue, but instead he only sighs and nods before turning his gaze back to the court. “Very well. We'll talk this weekend.”

“Fine,” Ukai agrees tersely. “This weekend.”

He walks out of the gymnasium, his hands in loose fists at his side, without another word. He is nearly halfway down the hall when he hears footsteps and someone calling his name. Turning, he sees Takeda chasing after him.

“Ukai-kun,” he pants, stopping in front of him.

“Sensei?” Ukai isn't sure what else to say as the shorter man straightens up and takes a deep breath.

“Thank you for bringing the boxes over,” Takeda says, still slightly out of breath.

Ukai says nothing, waiting for more. When Takeda doesn't continue, he tilts his head to the side in confusion. “Is that all?”

Takeda rocks back and forth on his heels, he hands bunched up in his track jacket as he looks anywhere but at Ukai.

“Well,” he begins hesitantly, “I know Coach didn't say thanks. Not that he isn't grateful, which I'm sure you know, but I just wanted to make sure you heard someone say it. Also, I'm very sorry for knocking you over and giving you a bloody nose.”

The teacher bows low, arms stiff at his side. Ukai just stands there, unsure of what to do, and fumbles awkwardly with one of the many hoops in his ear.

“Really, Sensei, it's cool,” he says stiffly. He pulls the tissue out of his nose and wipes at his nostrils a couple times. “See, the bleeding's stopped already. Nothing to worry about.”

Slowly, Takeda straightens, looking over his glasses frames at Ukai's nose. A grin breaks over his face, but he quickly hides it with his hand. “Very well. But Ukai-kun, you might want to wash your face before you go back to work.”

Before Ukai can say a word, the teacher retreats to the gymnasium, looking back for less than a second before disappearing behind the door. Ukai stares after him, a dumb expression on his face. _What in the world?_

Shaking his head, Ukai leaves the high school. On the drive back to the store, he tries without success to focus on anything but the adorable Takeda or the coach's promise of a future conversation. His mind jumps from one to the other nonstop until he gets back to the store and buries his head in his hands. Takeda's shining smile lights up his mind for a moment longer, only to be shattered by the echoing voice of his grandfather. Ukai moans miserably into his hands. What a trying day.

It doesn't help when his mother screamed at the sight of the dried blood running from his nose to his chin.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ukai mulls over his options.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay so already a new chapter!! I was so astonished by how many of you read this, thank you so much!! Both for reading and to those of you who left kudos. Your support is very much appreciated.  
> Anyways, I'm not gonna update this often very much, since I have school. It was really stupid to stay up this late writing this as it is, so I don't want to make a habit of losing sleep this much. So enjoy!

Ukai leans back in his chair, closing his eyes as he takes a deep drag from his cigarette. He holds it in for a few moments before slowly exhaling. His body goes limp, and for a moment everything is peaceful. It is late in the evening, the Friday after his visit to Karasuno High School, and Ukai is done with all of his work. The floors have been mopped and swept, the shelves have all been dusted and stocked accordingly, the trashcans are empty, and the bathrooms have been thoroughly scrubbed clean. All that is left to do is wait for closing time. Then Ukai can lock up, head home, and spend the rest of the evening with a cold bottle of beer and whatever crappy show he feels is adequate enough entertainment. He deserves it. It was an exhausting day, filled with whiny customers and old people who were all too open about the reason they need certain medicinal drugs. Not to mention the store had been unusually busy to the point where Ukai barely had time to squeeze in a lunch break. So yes, he believes he is warranted one night to himself.

So when the merry jingling of the bell signaling the entrance of a customer echoes through the quiet store, Ukai doesn't know why he is surprised. Jumping in his chair, he yelps and nearly falls to the ground. He is luckily able to catch himself on the edge of the front counter, and he turns his gaze furiously towards the door to glare at whoever startled him.

“Now, Keishin, that's no way to greet a customer,” his mother scolds him from the doorway. Her arms are crossed and her posture disapproving, but the grin on her face betrays her.

Ukai rolls his eyes but looks appropriately ashamed, not meeting her gaze. “Sorry, Ma. I'm just tired. It was a long day.”

“So I heard,” his mother says, walking over to sit on the front counter. “Onishi-san was quite vocal about how busy you were when we came back.”

Ukai snorts and shakes his head. It is just like his parents' crotchety old hag of a neighbor to complain about him. She probably didn't stop for ten minutes before his mother found some way to escape the conversation. “She had to wait three minutes in line. Just because I don't treat her like royalty and let her jump ahead of everyone just because she comes here every single day doesn't mean it's the end of the world. I mean, I get that she's ancient and doesn't have much time left, but a little patience won't kill her.”

“Keishin!” His mother tries to sound reprimanding but laughs nonetheless. Ukai knows she has an even lower tolerance for the old bat than he does. “You should have more respect for your elders.”

“She made me eat cat food,” Ukai responds.

“That was one time-”

“She threatened to release her demon dog on me when I was five.”

“Well, you _did_ crush her garden with your volleyball-”

“She told me that I am going to die sad and alone because no one in their right mind can stand to look at my face for more than two minutes without feeling ill!”

His mother erupts with the laughter she was fighting down, clutching her sides as she struggles to breathe around her giggles. “Alright, alright, she's a nasty old coot.”

“To put it kindly,” Ukai mumbles.

“And I'm sorry your father and I weren't here to help you today,” his mother continues. “We never expected that it would be so busy.”

Ukai sits up, quickly shaking his head as he grinds the butt of his cigarette out on his ashtray. “No, don't apologize. You needed to go. Besides, I managed alright on my own for the most part, and Mori was able to help out a bit when things got crazy. Least he could do after bumming around the store so often.” He hesitates for a moment, playing with the ashes on the ashtray. “How is Dad? Did all the tests go alright?”

His mother is quiet, and suddenly she looks so tired that she actually looks her age. Everyone Haruhi Ukai has ever met is surprised to learn that she is in her fifties. Her high energy and youthful personality combined with her wrinkle-free skin makes her appear almost twenty years younger than she actually is, and the way she is able to be so active makes Ukai sometimes think that she really isn't aging. But at this moment, Ukai sees the crinkles in her forehead and the bags under her eyes, and the way her back sags as though all of her fire has been put out resembles that of a woman worn down by time. It is a sight so wrong that Ukai can barely stand to look at her.

“He's very tired,” she says silently, wringing her hands loosely in her lap. “The tests went just fine, but they were very trying on him, both physically and emotionally. I made him some dinner and put him to bed shortly after we got home.”

“Is he alright to be by himself?” Ukai asks, concern flaring up in his chest.

His mother waves him down as he moves to stand, shaking her head. “He'll be alright. I left Onishi-san's grandson with him. He's down for a visit and said he wouldn't mind being out of...well, he was happy to help.”

Ukai grinned, trying to lighten his mother's mood. “Man, even her grandson can't stand more than a few hours, huh? Poor kid.”

His mother shakes her head at him but still gives a soft smile. Glancing at the clock, she stands from her seat on the counter and brushes herself off. “Closing time, my darling. Go turn off the lights, and I'll make sure the back door is locked.”

They meet back up at the front door after completing their respective tasks. The air outside is chilly and sharp, and Ukai shivers and pulls the hood of his hoodie tighter around his neck as he finishes locking up.

“Speaking of family whose company one doesn't enjoy,” Ukai's mother begins, “your grandfather called yesterday.”

Ukai stiffens, his fingers tightening painfully around his keys. “Oh? What did he want?”

“He said he wanted to talk to you, and that it was important. He asked if you would stop by the high school tomorrow morning before or after morning practice so he can fill you in.”

“Fill me in on what?” Ukai demands, yanking his keys out of the lock and testing the door with an angry tug. The door shook and rattled violently as the lock held fast. “And why do I have to take time out of my day to talk to him? Why can't he stop by the store for once instead of dragging me away?”

He tugs on the door once more, using every ounce of willpower to not kick it in. A gentle hand grips his shoulder, and Ukai lets out a shaky breath as he leans his forehead against the cool glass. His knees feel weak.

“Keishin,” his mothers says softly. “Your grandfather loves you. I know he isn't very good at showing it,” she presses as Ukai opens his mouth to argue, “but he really does. He just thinks that you can do more than what you are now. He thinks you deserve more.”

“But I like what I'm doing now,” Ukai breathes, his voice quivering embarrassingly. _You will not cry over something this stupid, Keishin Ukai. You haven't sunk that low yet._ “Why does he have to judge my decisions?”

“Because you are a smart boy, my love,” his mother says. “You could have gotten into just about any university with grades like yours. Instead you chose to stay at home and help your father and I run the store. And even though we support your decision, we too think that you could do just about anything you want, go anywhere you wish. Are you really satisfied with your life now? You don't feel like any...thing is missing?”

Ukai clenches his fists and yanks out of his mother's hold. “Do you have to make everything about the fact that I'm still single? I don't want to get married right now, Ma, and no amount of badgering me is going to change that!”

“That's not all of it though, Keishin!” his mother exclaims. “Yes, I do think that if you are going to stay here you should try and settle down. Find a sweet girl who you can love and who can love you for many years. Start young, while you still have the energy. But if you are given other opportunities, then I think you should take them.”

Ukai shakes his head, burying his face in his hands. They have had this conversation more times than he cares to remember. Always the same thing. Find a sweet girl. Settle down. Have kids. He doesn't want any of that, he can't _have_ any of that, not without burning so many other bridges. “There _are_ no other opportunities, Ma. Not for someone like me.”

His mother hums in disagreement. “I don't know why you always say that, like you're less than other people. You are an intelligent young man, with great promise if you apply it properly. I just want what is best-”

“Can you please stop?” Ukai interrupts sharply, whirling around to face her. He can't take this anymore. “I know you don't understand.” _And you never will._ “But I can't do what you want.” _Because if you, or anyone else, ever understood, I would be ruined._ “So please, please just LET. IT. BE!”

His shouts echo across the suddenly dead silent parking lot. His mother stares at him in shock and confusion as he stands before her, shaking. Neither of them say a word, until Ukai can't stand another second of it and pulls out a cigarette. The silence continues as he lights it and inhales the smoke more deeply than he did all day, nearly choking despite his many years of experience. Finally, his mother takes a step towards him and wraps her arms around him in a loose embrace. Ukai stands stock still in shock, then he sighs and drops his cigarette on the pavement, grinding it out with the toe of his shoe, before returning the hug. They stand there like that for what feels like an eternity, until Ukai takes a step back, his eyes on his feet.

“You should get home to Dad,” he says, his voice raspy. “Mrs. Onishi's grandson is probably getting worried.”

His mother nods slowly, her gaze never leaving his face. “You're right. But listen to me, Keishin, please-”

“Ma, _please,_ not tonight-”

“No, _listen_ , Keishin,” his mother persists. “At least talk to your grandfather. Hear what he has to say. I don't know exactly what he wants, but it sounded like it could be quite promising. Just hear him out, and if you don't like it, then you don't have to do it. Please. For yourself as much as for him.”

Ukai draws in a deep breath and holds it for a few moments, closing his eyes. Slowly, he feels the anxiety fading into the background. “Fine. I'll go tomorrow. But I'm not going to make any decisions. And the moment he starts talking down to me, I am out of there. I understand that he doesn't like my choices, but he doesn't have any say in them anymore.”

His mother nods earnestly, a flicker of hope in her eyes. “Of course, my dear. Of course. Whatever decision you make, I will stand behind you. And so will your father,” she adds.

Ukai laughs a little at that. “Are you sure about that?” His father is so easily swayed by the coach. There have been many times when Ukai's father promised his support only to be convinced otherwise by the coach.

“Oh, trust me,” his mother says dryly. “He will support you.” She glances at her watch. “Now get home. You'll need to be up early if you want to talk to your grandfather.”

She hugs him once more and kisses him lightly on the cheek, and Ukai forces himself to give her one last smile before walking away to his own apartment. Once at home, he goes right for the fridge, grabbing the largest bottle of beer he owns and chugging half of it in one go. He collapses on his couch and turns on the TV, not even bothering to change the channel from the cheesy drama he is met with. He doesn't even try paying attention. Just stares at the screen, taking gulp after gulp of beer until his head is comfortably fuzzy.

A fittingly terrible ending to a terrible day. Ukai tries to think of something that went right, his mind digging for anything positive to dwell on. His mind, now a drunken haze, focuses for a moment, and he falls asleep thinking of warm brown eyes and a nervous smile.

 

 

His alarm the next morning goes off too loudly, too early. Ukai fumbles around for his phone, nearly falling off the couch and spilling the remainder of his beer on the floor. Cursing, he silences the alarm and flops onto his back with a groan, an arm thrown over his eyes. His mouth tastes sticky, having forgotten to brush his teeth last night, but at least he isn't so old that he's hungover from one (fairly large with a high alcohol concentration) bottle of beer. Still, he is so tired. What harm would a few extra minutes of sleep be? He feels himself slipping back into unconsciousness, the darkness outside not helping his case at all.

Luckily, he forces himself up in time to take a much needed shower and throw on some fresh clothes. He puts on the same hoodie as yesterday, the one that he always wears no matter what, even when it starts to smell. Catching a whiff of body odor as he shrugs it over his head, he absentmindedly decides that it is indeed time for another wash. For now, though, all he does is spray on some cheap cologne his mother got him for Christmas last year—or was it two years ago?—and grabs a piece of toast before running out the door.

The walk to the school feels as though it takes less time than usual, and before he knows it, Ukai is standing outside the gym door, watching his grandfather unlock it for when the students arrive for practice. He doesn't know whether or not to call out a greeting and is still deliberating when Coach Ukai turns around and takes notice of his presence.

“Ah, Keishin,” he says gruffly, nodding once at him. “You came after all. I wasn't sure that you would.”

Ukai shifts uncomfortably from foot to foot, still unsure of what to do. “Yeah, well, Ma convinced me to hear what you have to say. Try out opportunities and all that shit.”

His grandfather's eyebrows furrow, but he only nods again. “That's more than I would expect. Come inside, Keishin. We have a few minutes before the team arrives, and you can help me set up.”

He leads them both inside, and though Ukai's mood is not helped, he still helps his grandfather retrieve the needed equipment from the supply closet. Once everything is set up properly, Coach Ukai beckons for Ukai to sit beside him on one of the benches.

“First of all, I want to thank you for coming this morning,” the coach begins. “I know you didn't want to. But I need you to know, Kei-chan, that even though you cannot see it, I am trying to help you succeed.” He claps his hands lightly together, but the sound still echoes eerily around them. “I asked you here today because I have a proposition for you. If you agree, you eventually won't have to work at the store anymore. You would have travel opportunities and, depending on how well you do, you might even get better job offers. Which is something I can imagine happening, with your brains.”

Ukai bites his lip, his fingers twitching for a cigarette. He forgot to have one before he left. “I don't want some corporate job handed to me by one of your old connections, Gramps. I've told you that a million times. Besides, I don't have any college education. I doubt I'd even qualify for any of them.”

“Would you quit jumping to conclusions and let me finish?” his grandfather snaps, and Ukai falls silent, though he makes sure to keep his expression challenging. Coach Ukai rolls his eyes slightly before continuing, “I know you don't want a job like that. And that is one thing that I think I can understand about you. You don't like the idea of being tied down by some contract, unable to get out, until one day you blink and your entire life has been wasted on some career you never really cared about.”

Ukai blinks at the coach in surprise. He never realized...

“So that is why I had something else in mind, something I think you will both excel at and deem worthy of your efforts,” Coach Ukai continues. “You see, Keishin, you and I may be very different, but we are also the same in many ways. We think in very similar patterns and dream of the same kinds of freedom. That is why I want you to come on as my apprentice and take over the position of Karasuno's coach after I retire.”

Ukai's gaze snaps to his grandfather. _Wait...what?!_ “You want me to do _what?_ ”

Coach Ukai says nothing, only watches him. Ukai splutters, confused and slightly panicked, rising to his feet and pacing back and forth a few times. He stops once or twice, his mouth open to speak, before promptly closing it and continuing to pace.  Is this some kind of joke? Or is he being serious? _But why?_ Finally, he comes to a halt in front of the coach.

“Why?” he demands. “Is this some bullshit way of carrying on your legacy? What makes you think I would even be remotely interested in following in your footsteps?”

The coach stands so that they are face to face, and Ukai has to force himself to hold eye contact steadily. “Because I don't see it as you following in my footsteps, Kei-chan-”

“Stop calling me that.”

"-but as you pursuing something that you would succeed in. You may not have been a star volleyball player back in your day, but that doesn't mean that you don't know everything there is to know about the sport. There are times when I feel your knowledge surpasses even mine, and I know your love for it is greater than mine ever has been. So even if you can't compete anymore, why not pour your passion into those who can? Train the next generation of children, then the next, and the next. What use is all that knowledge if you don't share it with those who can use it?”

Ukai feels light-headed. He needs to sit down. _What the hell is happening right now?_

“You could still continue working at the Foothill Store while I teach you how to coach,” Coach Ukai carries on. “Eventually, though, once you take on my position fully, you will receive the income from the job, and you will be able to coach full time with no other kind of work necessary. You will be given chances to travel all over Japan for practice tournaments, if you play your cards right, and if you want you could get a better paying job at a nicer school. The possibilities from this are endless.”

Against his will, Ukai feels himself being drawn in by his grandfather's words. Sure, he's content with his life as it is now, but this could be so much better. Being near volleyball, maybe finding other people to play with not only for the team but also for himself, just for fun. Traveling to put some of the pressure off of his current state of singleness. After all, keeping up a relationship could be hard if he has to leave town somewhat frequently, right? There are downsides, of course, like Ukai being painfully reminded of the fact that he may not be old but he is still getting older, and he won't be competing in any of these tournaments himself. But these are all things that he could deal with, and might have to deal with eventually no matter what his decision.

“I have discussed this with the appropriate members of the school board,” the coach says. “They have all agreed to allow you to take over for me. And Takeda-sensei seemed to enjoy your company very much-”

Ukai's blood suddenly runs cold. _Crap._ He forgot about the teacher, the one he thought was cute, the one whose smile he thinks of when he needs to be cheered up. For god's sake, he only met the man once less than a week ago and he's already the number one subject of his thoughts. He can't do this. It's too risky. _Stupid, stupid, stupid!..._

“No,” he says, cutting off whatever Coach Ukai is saying. “I can't do it. I'm sorry.”

The coach looks surprised, then confused. “Why not? You looked ready to agree a moment ago.” His eyebrows furrow. “Is it Sensei? You looked a little pale when I mentioned him. Did you not like him? He's only the faculty adviser. You need not interact with him but once a week, unless one of the players becomes ineligible due to grades.”

Ukai shakes his head. “No, it's not that I didn't like Sensei.” _In fact, I'm afraid that I would like him too much_. “It's just that I don't think this whole thing would be a good fit.” The lie sounds weak, even to him, so he pushes on. “I don't much care for kids, much less snot-nosed little teenagers who think they know everything. I don't have the patience to be their babysitter every day for god knows how many hours. Besides, I'm happy with where I am now. But thank you,” he adds quietly after a moment of silence, “for the offer.”

Coach Ukai stares at him for a long moment. Ukai feels as though the old man can see through every word he just said, but he remains standing tall with his back straight and his chest forward in solid resolve. Eventually, his grandfather nods his head slightly and sighs quietly.

“Very well,” he says. He sounds disappointed, defeated. “But know that if you change your mind, you need to do so soon. I won't leave this open for very long.”

Ukai nods, his heart constricting painfully in his chest. How he wants to damn his fears and _what if_ 's and leap at the offer before him. He wishes he could suck it up and take the risk. After all, he may not even develop further feelings for the cute, jumpy teacher. But he is a coward, and he cannot do it.

“Thank you,” he repeats himself, and he bows respectfully. “Good luck finding another apprentice.”

He walks out of the gym.

The sun has begun to rise as he makes his way back to the store, and he sees several dark, lanky figures bounding excitedly towards the gym doors. Sighing heavily, he turns his gaze to the ground and begins to walk faster.  

"Ukai-kun?"

Ukai looks up and sees a short, shadowy outline approaching him.  He stops and looks closer as the man draws nearer, his features growing clearer with each step.

The adorable smile he sees is even brighter than the rising sun.

“Ukai-kun!” Takeda greets him enthusiastically. “What are you doing here?”

 _Fuck_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Ukai. He has some identity issues.  
> I have this headcannon that Ukai is actually ridiculously smart, but in this story he's too afraid that people will hate the real him if they ever found out about him being gay, so he doesn't do anything that can be ruined by it.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ukai is an idiot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I hope you guys enjoy this, because I wrote this while I should have been working on my big research paper for my government class. The things I do for procrastination.  
> I didn't realize the last chapter was a cliffhanger until like just now. Sorry about that. I was so busy writing the next part and knowing what happens that I forgot you guys have no idea what's going on. Haha. I feel so powerful. *maniacal laughter* But yeah have fun with this, it was fun to write.

This can't be real.

Ukai stares down at the piece of crumpled paper in his hand, running his fingers over the ink and crinkling the edges as if to assure himself that it is really there and not going to disappear the next time he blinks. He can't believe his luck. Is it even luck? Or is this the universe playing some sick joke on him that is going to take its hit any time now? But he doesn't dwell on this for very long, because in the end he really doesn't care. Either way he looks at it, Ukai has Takeda's phone number.

And that feels pretty damn good.

 

_Several days earlier..._

 

“Ukai-kun! What are you doing here?”

Ukai grimaces in spite of himself, which thankfully beats down the blush that is fighting to break out at the sight of the teacher. It is barely five o'clock in the morning, and Takeda somehow has the energy to greet him with cheer. Not that he doesn't appreciate it. Ukai can admire Takeda's type of morning person, one who is friendly without being overbearingly happy to be up at the ass crack of dawn.

“I was just meeting with the coach for that chat he wanted to have,” Ukai responds, trying his best to sound nonchalant, which is hard to do as he takes in the state of the other man standing just a few feet in front of him. Takeda looks, he has to admit, strangely hot. In a very messy, very _I-literally-just-got-out-of-bed-and-may-or-may-not-have-showered-yet_ way, but definitely still hot somehow. He is wearing the same green track jacket he had on when the two of them first met just a few days ago, but while it was clean and and neat-looking then, it is now wrinkled and hanging lopsided from his shoulders. He probably wore it to bed last night, Ukai muses. Underneath it he is sporting a tattered old T-shirt advertising some band Ukai has never heard of, and his jeans are loose-fitting and dip slightly around his waist(and yes, they do have what he guesses is a fresh coffee stain running down the left leg). Not to mention, his glasses are crooked, caught on one side of his head in some of the sexiest bedhead Ukai has ever seen, which distracts from the dark rings that color underneath his eyes. Gaze lingering for not even half a second on the drooping waistband of the teacher's pants, Ukai is so thankful Takeda is not in high school. Then pushes aside any thought he would ever have that he could ever not be attracted to him, because _damn_ how does this nerdy little high school teacher make such a sloppy mess look good?

“But nevermind what I'm doing here,” Ukai says after a moment of invasive staring he prays to every god he can imagine Takeda didn't notice. “What are _you_ doing here?” Because even though the teacher looks ridiculously good, he also looks like he could collapse in a slumbering heap at any second.

Takeda's head tilts to the side as he regards Ukai, obviously confused. “I'm here for morning practice?”

Ukai rolls his eyes. “I can see that. But _why?_ You should be at home. Asleep. You look like you could use it.”

The teacher's expression softens into a smile, and he rubs the back of his neck almost ruefully. “Thank you for the concern, Ukai-kun, but I'll be alright. Besides, I believe it'll all be worth it in the end. I want to become someone the boys on the team can depend on, and the best way to do that is to be by their side whenever I can. If I work on growing with them as well as aid them in their journey, I have no doubt that my presence will be far more beneficial to them in the future.” His smile fades into a look of sheer embarrassment when he sees Ukai staring at him in wonder, and he slaps a hand over his eyes. “I'm sorry! That was so dramatic, wasn't it?”

“No, not at all,” Ukai murmurs in reassurance, this time not able to fight off a light blush. “That was...” _Really cute._ “...nice.”

It doesn't do much to help with Takeda's embarrassment, but at least it gets him to uncover his face. He smiles again at Ukai.

“Thanks,” he laughs lightly. “But in all seriousness, I really do need to go to as many practices as I can. I know next to nothing about volleyball, so I want to study up on it as best as I can so I can be of better use once the season really starts and the new first years join.”

“I suppose that makes sense,” Ukai says. “I doubt it'll be hard for you to catch up, too. You seem very determined.”

“It's my one redeeming quality,” Takeda says. The words are spoken to sound like a joke, but the smile doesn't quite reach his eyes.

Ukai narrows his eyes at him. How can he possibly think that about himself? _Is someone telling him that?_

“Who's saying that?” he demands, more angrily than he meant for it to come out.

Takeda looks at him in mild surprise. “Huh? Oh, no one really. It's just the truth. But anyways,” he hurries on before Ukai can persist, “did Coach tell you about his offer?”

Ukai swallows and looks away, uncomfortable with the sudden shift of focus. “Oh. Yeah. Yeah, he did. That is, he made the offer this morning, during our talk.”

“And?” Takeda presses, taking a step closer with a hopeful gleam in his eye.

Startled at the sudden proximity, Ukai tries to step back from the teacher and nearly loses his balance. Takeda is now directly in front of him, barely more than a two feet away. He is too close, close enough that if he wanted to, Ukai could reach out and touch his face. His face which is now a mix of confusion and mild hurt.

“Oh, yeah, um,” Ukai stumbles, gesturing wildly in hopes that Takeda will back off some more, “I, uh, I didn't really think it would be a good idea.”

“Really?” Takeda says. “From what I've heard about you, you'd be great at it.”

Ukai laughs nervously at this. “Seriously? What did you hear to make you think that?”

“Coach says that you know a lot about volleyball,” the teacher tells him. “And he says you're not a bad player yourself,” he adds encouragingly.

Ukai raises his eyebrows. “I'm not that good. I wasn't even a starting player in high school.” _Wait, why are you telling him that? Now he'll just think you're a loser._

_Not that that is necessarily wrong..._

Ukai tells himself to shut up.

“But you still play, right?” Takeda says. He keeps inching closer, his eyes burning with intensity, not seeming to notice Ukai's response of moving back with every step.

“Well, yeah,” Ukai admits, “but that doesn't mean I've gotten any better.”

“Coach doesn't need play to do the job. What makes you think you'll need to?” Takeda asks.

Ukai shrugs noncommittally. “I don't know.”

There is a pause, then Takeda bites his lip, looking hesitant. “You know, if you're worried about whether or not you'd be a good teacher, you don't have to be. It may be difficult at first, but it's a lot easier to get the hang of than people say. And it's a very worthwhile job. Trust me on that.”

“Thank you, Sensei, really,” Ukai says. “But that's really not the problem.”

“Then what is it?” the teacher presses, looking disappointed.

Ukai runs a hand through his hair, straightening his headband. “It's complicated. I don't think it'd be a very good fit, and I'm not really good with kids. I mean yeah it could be fun and all, but I don't know if I could enjoy it because of having to deal with...people.” He's started gesturing wildly again. “I guess this, all of it, that kind of thing, it's just-”

“Ukai-kun, calm down, you don't have to explain,” Takeda tries to assure him, reaching out to-

 _To what?_ Ukai flinches away from him, slapping the outstretched hand to the side before he even realizes what is happening. Takeda takes a couple steps back, his face bewildered, arms wrapped around himself as though Ukai had struck him in the gut. Silence falls over them as Ukai's brain tries to catch up with what happened. _What were you thinking? He was just trying to calm you down, now you're being obvious._

“It's just, I'm not really interested. That's not my thing,” Ukai finishes lamely, shattering the silence. Takeda's wide eyes flash from concern to embarrassment, and he blushes while turning his eyes to the ground. “Y'know. The whole coaching. Thing.”

“Right,” Takeda says, forcing a laugh so unnatural it hurts. “Yeah, of course. Right.”

“Plus, I mean, I already have a job at the Foothill Store,” Ukai continues, at the same time mentally screaming at himself to _shut the fuck up and apologize!_ He clearly said something to upset the teacher, _as well as literally pushed him away when he was just trying to be_ nice, and his ramblings are definitely not helping in the slightest.

“Of course,” Takeda echoes, his tense smile quickly beginning to fade. He clears his throat and blinks hard, kicking awkwardly at a small pile of dirt by his feet. “Right. Well, I should head to practice. Lots to learn.”

“Right!” Ukai agrees a little too loudly, turning to walk away. He looks back as the teacher goes to walk towards the gym doors. He really should ask what's wrong, _and_ apologize. “Have a, uh, y'know. Good day. Sensei.” _Wow, real smooth, Mr. Helpful._

Takeda glances at him for a moment and murmurs a quiet “You, too, Ukai” before walking away. Ukai stares after him until he is halfway to the gym doors, wondering what on Earth just happened and why he couldn't even try to fix it, before he climbs begins the hike back to the store.

 

 

Ukai groans into his hands, an act he has been doing much too frequently as of late, and digs the heel of his hands into his eyelids. Maybe if he pushes hard enough, his eyes will explode back into his brain and kill him somehow. Then he won't have to worry about his stupid stupid _stupid_ mouth.

“What did you do now?” Shimada asks resignedly before taking a swig of beer.

The Karasuno Neighborhood Association are all in Uchizawa's backyard, sitting around a fire, drinking beer, and chatting idly. They are all sweaty and bone tired, having just wrapped up a game a few minutes ago. A game which Ukai severely botched due to his inability to concentrate on anything. Shimada peers critically over at him over the frames of his glasses, not at all in the cute way Takeda did it. Ukai only groans again at the thought of the teacher, his devastated face still burned clear as day in his mind. It was all he could think about all day, and even now, over twelve hours later, he is still writhing internally with regret.

“C'mon now, spill,” Mori says, nudging Ukai with his foot. “I'm sure we can offer you some advice in this clearly trying time in your life.”

“Advice, my ass,” Ukai snaps. “I know all of you, you'll just mock me. Besides, you guys have listened to me bitch enough to last for the rest of the month.”

“Isn't that what friends are for? Now suck it up and talk,” Mori encourages him, and the others murmur their agreement. Ukai only presses his hands down harder.

“It's really not anything, you guys,” he mumbles miserably. “I just did something stupid. Again.”

Takinoue snickers. “Well, obviously.” This earns him a hefty kick in the shin from Ukai, who has to uncover his face in the process. “Alright, chill, man, chill. Gosh. What did you _do_?”

“I don't even know!” Ukai moans, hiding his face again. “I mean, I kind of know. I did and said something stupid, and now I hurt his feelings and I feel awful.”

Uchizawa, who had been only half listening a moment ago, leans forward in sudden interest. “Hurt whose feelings, Ukai?”

Ukai hesitates, not really wanting to say, but his friends' imploring stares reluctantly draw Takeda's name out of him.

“Takeda?” Mori echoes. “Who the hell is Takeda?”

“Wait, Takeda-sensei?” Takinoue asks. “Pretty eyes and cute butt teacher from the volleyball club?”

“Takinoue!” Ukai hisses angrily, glancing at the neighbors' windows anxiously. The all appear to be closed, thankfully. “Not so loud, please.”

“Wait, I'm confused,” Mori says. “Who is the sensei?”

“Remember that guy he wouldn't shut up about Wednesday night?” Uchizawa reminds him earnestly.

“The one he thought was in high school at first?”

“Yeah, that one!”

“Wait, he ended up being a teacher?”

“Yes! Were you not listening?”

“Of course I was. I just may or may not have been slightly more drunk than I seemed.”

“Guys, focus,” Shimada interrupts. “Let him finish.”

All eyes turn back to Ukai. He squirms in his chair, wishing for the life of him that he could just disappear. He eyes the fire, an idea popping into his head, but he quickly disregards it.

“I don't really know what to tell you guys,” he says honestly. “We were just talking, then he brought up the coaching thing, I got really uncomfortable and may have freaked out, and then I pushed him a little when he tried to calm me down and he suddenly ran off looking like I had just run over his cat.”

Takinoue rubs his chin thoughtfully. “What exactly do you mean by you 'got uncomfortable'? Because you are a walking disaster when you're out of your comfort zone. Remember that first match against Nekoma, when that second year middle blocker tried to talk to you afterwards and you-?”

“Yes, I remember,” Ukai snaps. “But can you blame me, it was the first time I was ever hit on by a guy. And no, it wasn't that bad. I just started rambling, making excuses about why I don't want to take the job, then I kind of started panicking because I couldn't think of anything really believable.”

Mori grabs a twig and pokes an end of it into the fire. “And he freaked out because you responded in a manner one would expect you to respond in the middle of a panic attack?”

“I wouldn't say he freaked out,” Ukai amends. “More like he got really sad after I said something.”

“Like, cry sad?” Uchizawa asks. He grabs the twig, which is now ablaze and mere centimeters away from Mori's face, out of Mori's hand and tosses it into the fire. Mori just glares at him and grabs another, longer stick.

“Maybe,” Ukai says. “I don't know. I don't think so?”

“Maybe he really wanted you to coach,” Takinoue suggests. “And he was really sad that you turned it down.”

“That wouldn't make any sense,” Uchizawa scoffs. “And if that is the case, then Sensei sounds like a super oversensitive guy whom I would then suggest you stay away from, Ukai. You don't need that in your life.”

“What did you say to him that made him sad?” Mori asks. He pulls the stick out of the fire and twirls it, watching the flaming end dance.

Ukai shrugs. “I'm not really sure, to be honest. And I don't know what to do, because I couldn't even apologize because I was still panicking. Like, did he just take it personally that I pushed him away, or did I say something and not realize it?

“Why don't you just ask him?”

Everyone looks at Shimada, who has remained silent through every exchange. He adjusts his glasses and looks at Ukai, his eyebrows raised as if to say _I don't know why you didn't think of this earlier._ Ukai hates it when he does that, because he's always right. The others look from Shimada to Ukai.

“Yeah,” Mori agrees. “Just do that. I know communicating isn't your strong suit, but maybe if you tried hard enough, you might be able to not make an ass of yourself.”

“Mori, quit being rude,” Takinoue says.

“No, he's right,” Ukai admits reluctantly. “I suck that these things.”

“If you mean talking about your feelings, then yes,” Takinoue agrees. “I still can sometimes hardly believe you actually told us about the whole liking guys thing. And that was after, what, six years?”

“That's not the point, and now you're being rude,” Shimada says. “Ukai, are you ever going to even see him again?”

Ukai blinks in surprise. He never really considered this. It's true, he has never seen Takeda anywhere other than at the high school. But he also didn't know him before, so for all he knows the teacher could start popping up at the grocery store, the bar, the gas station, the gym.

He recalls Takeda's spindly form. Yeah, scratch that last one.

“I don't know,” he says.

“Well, how about this,” Mori says, leaning forward. “Do you _want_ to ever see him again?”

Ukai clenches his jaw and looks at the ground, feeling ill. His throat feels tight, so shrugs in reply.

“C'mon, answer straightforward,” Uchizawa says. “Yes or no. It'll help.”

“I don't know,” Ukai repeats in a raspy voice, gripping his knees. “Yes. But it's not that simple.”

“How so?” Mori demands, agitated.

Ukai turns to him, eyes sharp. “Oh, geez, Mori, I wonder. Let's count the reasons, shall we?” He holds up his hand, adding a finger for every reason. “He's the first guy I've really been interested in for a couple years. He's probably straight. Even if he isn't, he's a teacher, so getting involved with me could ruin his reputation. It could ruin _my_ reputation. I don't think there's any way I could _not_ be attracted to him, I tried that this morning and it didn't work.”

“So pretty much you're just scared,” Takinoue cuts in. “Right? I mean, that's just what I heard from what you said. You haven't been in a serious relationship since high school, so it must be scary to consider putting yourself out there again, especially knowing so little about the guy. That being said, it's understandable that you're sensitive to everything about the situation. As far as being attracted to him goes, you've been attracted to guys in the past and still been friends with them. Everyone has to do it. Uchizawa does it every day at work, right, Uchizawa?”

“Right.”

“So just because it's something kind of new to you doesn't mean it's impossible,” Takinoue says. “If you want, just try and be his friend. If something more comes of it, you can deal with the whole _ruining your reputation_ thing then.”

The only sound is the crackling of the fire as Takinoue falls silent and Ukai mulls over his words. He's right. Of course he is. The small town has such a low population of men Ukai's age that he has forgotten what it is like to actually be attracted to someone. He just needs to suck it up and deal with things as they come. Who knows? This might even be good for him.

“You're right,” he says, and everyone stares at him in astonishment.

“Seriously?” Mori demands. “You're not gonna yell at him for calling you a cowardly little bitch?”

“I did not say that!” Takinoue protests.

“You kind of did.”

“Mori, it's fine,” Ukai says. “I needed to hear him say it. So yeah. Maybe I will be friends with him, if I ever get the chance.”

Uchizawa slaps him on the back, grinning broadly. “There ya go! Good for you, Ukai. Just keep thinking positively and thing's will be just fine. You'll see.”

“Thanks,” Ukai says weakly. Now that he has gotten everything out of his system, he feels drained of all energy. Sighing, he leans back in his chair and stares up at the faint glow of the stars. “Now I just have to find some kind of excuse to talk to him.”

“Just take the coaching job,” Shimada tells him. “You'll never get a better opportunity to get to know him.”

Ukai is silent for a moment. “Maybe. I'll think about it. I want to take it slowly, and if I spend too much time with him in the beginning I can't really do that. Like you said, it's been a while since I've done this.”

Mori claps his hands together. “Great. I'm glad that we could solve that. Now listen up, 'cus I just remembered the funniest thing that happened at the store today...”

As Ukai listens to his friend talk, he thinks about how he will approach this. He supposes that giving up such a great opportunity just because of a silly crush that might pass in a couple months is a really stupid idea in hindsight. If he suggests a trial period, will his grandfather agree? _Monday_ , he decides. He'll go to the high school before practice starts and talk to his grandfather then, and hopefully run into Takeda and find out what exactly he said to upset him. That gives him one day between now and then to figure out just how to go about everything.

 

 

As it turns out, Ukai doesn't need a whole day. By the time he has showered, eaten breakfast, and left to open the store, he already has it all planned out. He will go and talk to his grandfather and get him to agree to a two week trial period after which Ukai will decide whether or not he wishes to continue his training. Then, before he leaves, he will pull Takeda to the side and make things right.

 _“I'm sorry for how I handled things Saturday,”_ he will say. _“I didn't mean to be so rude. I know that I hurt your feelings but I didn't think to apologize in the heat of the moment. Would you tell me what I said so I won't do it again?”_ Takeda will tell him what he said, he will apologize, and then he will say goodbye and leave before he can fuck it up again. Short and simple.

Except now he has an entire day in which he can suffer, imagining everything that could possibly go wrong with his plan. What if Takeda refuses to talk to him? What if he hates Ukai, and now Ukai is stuck with an angry set of eyes that will be glaring at him in the high school gym for the next two weeks? Every worst-case scenario he pulls out of his head is overcome by an even worse worst-case scenario, and by the time noon rolls around, Ukai has imagined that when he tries to talk to the faculty adviser, Takeda will pull a knife and slit Ukai's throat before he can get a word out. He knows it's stupid and would never happen, but his mind keeps whispering _what if? It could definitely happen. He could be a total serial killer, and you wouldn't even know until now because you made him mad._ _Don't you know to look out for the quiet ones?_ Except Sensei isn't quiet so much as gentle, Ukai reasons with himself. Then he slaps his own face at the stupidly sentimental thought.

“Someone's having a crisis,” his father comments from behind him.

Ukai yelps in surprise, hitting his knee on the edge of the counter. “Dad! When did you get here?”

His father raises his eyebrows. “Your mother was right. You are out of it, aren't you? I just got here. It's time for your lunch break.”

Ukai turns in his chair to give his father a suspicious look. “I haven't had a lunch break in five years.”

“So take advantage of this one,” his father responds. He kicks the legs of Ukai's chair. “Now get up so an old man can sit down.”

“Shouldn't you be at home, resting?” Ukai says, but he stands to let his father have the chair nonetheless. “Ma and I can handle it here just fine. Business is kinda slow today actually, so if you wanted I could finish up the rest of the day on my own.”

His father settles into the chair with a scowl. “Shut up, boy. This is my store, and I am going to run it. I've rested for weeks now. It's about time I got back to work. As for you, you can have the rest of the day off if we're still slow by the time you get back.”

“Now, Dad, you can't just ignore the doctors like that-”

“I'm not ignoring them. I have been resting. And now I have plenty of energy to be back for a few more days. If I don't think I can handle it, I will go back to bed.” He makes a shooing motion. “Now go. I have your mother here, and if for some reason we need you to come back in the next hour we will call. Understood?”

Ukai hesitates, then sees his mom stick her head out from the supply closet behind the counter. She smiles and nods at him reassuringly, and he slowly nods his agreement.

“Fine,” he says reluctantly. “But the moment anything goes wrong, you call me, alright?”

“Ah, get outta here,” his father grumbles, but there is a soft smile on his face. “You drive me nuts, kid.”

Ukai smiles. Feeling more sure, he wishes his parents farewell and leaves the store. He thinks about going home and relaxing with a sandwich and some television, but it is a warm afternoon, as spring has arrived early this year, and after hours of sitting and dreading he thinks that a good walk would be healthy. Double checking his pockets for his wallet, he sets off in the direction of downtown. There is a wonderful little diner whose food he grew up eating just a mile from Foothill Store, and he hasn't eaten there in a long while. So he puts in his headphones, shoves his hands in his pockets, and takes off down the road.

The fresh air and music blending together create a calming effect, and before long Ukai is humming as he walks briskly along the way. For the first time all day, he is distracted from his paranoid thoughts. His mind relaxes as it wanders farther and farther with every step he takes, so by the time he reaches the door to the diner, he is peaceably reminiscing one of Mori's amusing stories. The hostess inside smiles in recognition upon his entrance and calls to the owner, who comes out to talk to him despite the large Sunday crowd. After a short exchange regarding his health, his parents' health, and his current relationship status—at this point the owner glances hintingly in the direction of the pretty, young hostess—he is led away to a booth, where he is promised that his usual will be brought out to him. Ukai relaxes into his seat, taking in the familiar sight. The place hasn't changed since he last visit some months ago. There's the same warm orange walls with old pictures from when the place first opened hanging up all over them. The polished wooden floor is as clean as ever, with the same red stain by the front desk from an accident involving an assortment of fruits and red wine. He spots the little table by the front window where he spent many meals with his parents. A teenage couple now sit there, holding hands while sipping warm beverages.

His meal is brought to him in little time by the kindly old server who has worked there for as long as Ukai can remember, and they chat for as long as they can before the old man has to get back to work. Warmth fills Ukai's chest as he eats his food, feeling more at ease than he has in a long time. If the coaching thing ends up happening, and he does get another job offer, Ukai decides, he won't take it. This town is his home, and he has no reason to want to leave.

Time flies quickly, and before long he needs to begin the walk back to the store. He pays his bill at the front desk, making sure to leave as generous of a tip as he can afford, and wishes farewell to all of the staff. Once outside, he takes a step to begin his trip back, only to stop dead in his tracks. A group of teenagers is walking in his direction.

Leading them along the way is none other than Takeda.

Ukai's heart nearly stops in his chest, whether from fear or relief he does not know. He doesn't know if he should just keep walking and hope the teacher doesn't see him or if he should try and talk to him now. His decision is made for him when Takeda looks at him and nearly trips over his own feet in surprise. The teens, whom Ukai recognizes as the volleyball club, cluster around him to make sure he's okay. Ukai sees him nod and wave them off, murmuring something while glancing in his direction. All at once, the boys turn their heads to stare at Ukai. The store clerk gulps in discomfort but still takes this moment to walk over, hoping he doesn't regret it.

“Hey, Sensei,” he says as calmly as he can muster. The boys are still staring at him, a few even sending rather murderous glares his way.

“Hello, Ukai,” Takeda responds with a smile. It is all wrong. The teacher's warm energy that could light up the entire planet is absent from his face, and his easygoing tone has been replaced with one of icy politeness. Ukai feels his resolve slipping with each passing moment. “Enjoying your day off from the store?”

“Oh, I'm just out for lunch,” Ukai says, trying not to focus on the Monk Cut kid he recognizes as the adolescent stares unblinkingly with what can only be described as a disturbing expression. “I'll be heading back in just a second.”

“Well then, don't let us keep you,” Takeda says. He walks past Ukai to enter the diner. “Have a good day.”

“Wait, Sensei,” Ukai says, reaching out to grab his arm. He is stopped by a boy about his height with short black hair and a frighteningly serious face. Ukai yanks his arm free of his hold and glares at him before turning back to the teacher. “I was actually hoping I could talk to you sometime, if you have time.”

Takeda doesn't look at him, instead playing with a loose string on his jacket. It isn't the same green track one Ukai is used to seeing him in. This one is gray, and it fits his body better than the other one. Still, its drab appearance only seems to serve as a visual reminder of the teacher's newly dreary mood.

“I'm actually quite busy at the moment, as you can see,” he says with a gesture towards the students. “But if you want to call the school sometime tomorrow, just ask for me and they'll give you my extension.”

Ukai opens his mouth to protest, but the black haired kid from before takes a step forward to stand next to Takeda.

“Have a good day, sir,” he says calmly, and without another word he takes Takeda by the arm and leads him into the diner. The other players push past Ukai, some making sure to bump him with their shoulders. Monk Cut even mumbles a quiet “Old jerk” at him under his breath when he walks by, sending one last death look over his shoulder as the diner door closes behind him.

This time music and a long walk isn't enough to distract Ukai.

 

 

Monday morning passes slowly. The sky is overcast and darkening by the hour, and the weather report on Ukai's radio reports that there will be heavy rain sometime in the afternoon around the time school is let out. Still, the sprinkling begins at noon, and it isn't long until customers start tracking in muddy shoe prints on the tile floor. By the time Ukai leaves for the school, rain is falling evenly and heavily enough to warrant an umbrella. Which he forgot at home. Pulling his hood over his head, he makes a dash for the store's delivery car, which his mother told him he could use since it is raining so hard, and manages to get in without getting too wet.

By the time he arrives at the school, club activities are about to begin. He winds his way to the gym at a fast pace, determined to get there earlier than the club members. He hopes he hasn't totally ruined his chance with their good side after yesterday's events, which he is doing his best not to replay in his head.

Coach Ukai is setting up the gym when he arrives.

“Hello, Keishin,” the old man greets him. “This is a surprise. Come to take me up on my offer after all, eh?”

“And if I was?” Ukai asks. “Is it still open?”

His grandfather beams at him—or rather, he smirks with a little more warmth than usual. “Of course! I was going to give you at least a couple of weeks to make up your mind, but I have to say that this is much sooner than I expected. I'm so glad that you decided to train with me after all.”

“Not so fast,” Ukai says cautiously. “I'm still not completely sold on the idea. I had something else in mind, and since you said you were going to give me two weeks anyways I think you might be open to it.”

The coach folds his arms, curious, and motions for Ukai to continue.

Ukai makes his pitch, and throughout it his grandfather listens attentively with a neutral expression on his face. Afterwards he regards him thoughtfully, nodding slowly.

“I think that could work,” he says. “You'd be able to see the players in a practice game, so you'll have a good gauge of the starters' abilities. And you'd find out if the schedule with your running the shop during training would work out.” He hums to himself, eyes unfocused as he turns the idea around in his head. “Very well. I agree to a two week trial period starting tomorrow. At the end I want a definitive answer, yes or no, of whether or not you are going to stay. Understood?”

Ukai nods earnestly, and he and the coach shake hands. He is dismissed as the first of the players appear, out of uniform and in practice clothes. None of them notice him, and he is able to slip out silently without being sent wordless death threats.

He almost makes it to the front door when he turns a corner and walks straight into someone. The top of their head rams into his chin, and he tastes blood as his tongue is pinched between his slammed teeth. Yelping in alarm, Ukai grabs a hold of the other person to keep both of them from falling over.

“Ukai?”

The blond looks down at the man in front of him, meeting deep brown eyes that stare up at him from behind thick lenses.

“Takeda,” he says breathlessly. Suddenly he is hyper aware of his hands' placement on the teacher's shoulders, but their closeness doesn't seem to faze him this time. In fact, he can't bring himself to let go.

A moment passes in which they just stare at each other, then Takeda takes a hold of Ukai's wrists and gently removes his hands. Ukai blinks and looks away bashfully. _What am I, a schoolgirl?_

“It was good to see you yesterday,” Ukai bursts out, and Takeda blinks owlishly up at him, his face blank. “I mean, I'm sorry we didn't get to talk more. Did your lunch go alright?”

Takeda nods hesitantly. “Yes. I ran into the team while out, and they invited me along with them.”

“That was, uh, really cool of them,” Ukai says dumbly, and Takeda just nods again.

_Script, script! Remember the script!_

“Ah, right, Sensei, I just wanted to say...about Friday. I didn't mean-”

“You can stop right there, Ukai,” Takeda interrupts, suddenly sounding tired. “I get that you don't like me, alright? You don't have to pretend to, since we're not going to be working together any time soon. We can just act as though we never met. You'll never have to worry about me disturbing you in public. I promise.”

Ukai stares at him stupidly, not knowing what to say. _Huh?_ Where was this coming from? _Doesn't like him...?_ And here Ukai thought he was being too obvious about feeling just the opposite. When almost a minute goes by wherein he is still standing dumbfounded, Takeda sighs and looks down at the floor.

“Goodbye, Ukai,” he says sadly, and he goes to walk past him.

Lightning fast, Ukai unfreezes in time to grab the teacher's arm. This time, there are no teenagers around to stop him. “Sensei, stop.”

Takeda struggles to be rid of his grip, but he does it so weakly that Ukai wonders if he is really trying to get loose. “Ukai, let me go. I told you, you don't have to-”

“Why do you think that?” Ukai demands. Takeda shakes his head, confused.

“Why do I think what?”  
“That I don't like you.”

Takeda's eyebrows pinch together in a pained look. “It was rather obvious.”

“Tell me anyways.”

The teacher scowls more in frustration now but doesn't argue. “You sounded so angry about everything I said, and you looked ready to run away at any second.” He looks directly at Ukai now. “I know I'm not very enjoyable to be around. But please, don't insult me by pretending otherwise.”

 _Is this guy serious?_ “Sensei, you realize that you couldn't be more wrong, don't you?”

Confusion flickers over the dark haired man's face. “What are you talking about?”

Reluctantly, Ukai releases his hold on the teacher's arm. “I don't hate you at all. Actually, I thought you're really kinda cool. Maybe that we could be friends, even.”

Takeda continues to look perplexed. “Huh? But you said...you said you weren't interested. While gesturing at me. You said it's not your thing.”

“What? I was talking about the coaching, not you.”

“Oh.” This time the confusion disappears, replaced by realization. “So you mean you didn't think that I was coming onto you?”

“WHAT?” Ukai yelps, alarm bells sounding off in his head. “You thought that I thought- _why?”_

Takeda looks mortified, and his swiftly reddening face disappears behind his hands. “Oh my god, of course you didn't! I'm so sorry! It's just, I know I come off a little strong, and one time this guy thought that I was hitting on him when I was just trying to be friendly, and I guess that ever since then I've been paranoid that something like that will happen again.” He groans. “I am so, so sorry.”

He knows he shouldn't, but Ukai can't help it. He laughs at the sheer irony of it all, unable to stop even as Takeda looks up at him indignantly.

“I'm sorry,” he cackles. “It's just...I thought that you were offended by something I said when I was in the middle of my rambling and I had ruined any chance of being able to talk to you again.”

Takeda stares at him, a smile—a real one this time—tugging at the corner of his mouth. “Really? You were actually worried about that?”

Ukai nods, gaining control of his laughter, which dies down after a few more chuckles. “Of course. Despite what you think, you're, uh, a neat guy, Sensei.”

The smile that spreads across the teacher's face is priceless. Ukai takes a mental picture of it, determined to remember that joyous look.

“Thank you, Ukai-kun,” Takeda says, practically glowing. “That means a lot.”

Ukai nods at him. “Sure, don't sweat it.” His courage is starting to wear off, and he can feel discomfort worming its way back into his head. “Anyways, I'm glad we got that all cleared up. It would have sucked to have to work together and think that we hated each other the whole time.”

“Wait, what?” Takeda blinks at him. “Did you change your mind? Are you coming to coach for us?”

His excitement is so adorable, Ukai nearly breaks his face in half smiling so hard at him. “Sure did. Well, kind of. I've got a two week trial period, then at the end of that I'll decide whether or not I'm gonna stay or leave.”

“That's wonderful!” Takeda exclaims. “When do you start?”

“Tomorrow.”

“Wonderful,” the teacher repeats, still smiling happily. He glances at his watch. “Well, I need to get to practice now. Tanaka said he would help me study the different positions some more today.”

Ukai nods. “Of course. Have fun, and I'll see you tomorrow.”

Takeda waves cheerily, turning to jog away. On impulse, Ukai calls out for him to wait.

“I have a team,” he tells him.

“Huh?”

“I have a team,” Ukai repeats. “A volleyball team. Some old friends from high school, we all play together still.”

“Oh. I see.” He clearly didn't.

“So, if you ever need help learning more about volleyball, you could always come to one of our games,” Ukai says. “We usually play for about an hour, sometimes less, then just hang out for the rest of the night. I'm sure the guys wouldn't mind having you there.”

Takeda looks lost for words. “Uuh...”

“You don't have to, of course,” Ukai says quickly. “I just thought, y'know, if you wanted the extra help, I'd be willing-”

“No, yeah of course. I'd love that.”

“Really?”

Takeda nods, and Ukai smiles broadly.

“Great. I'll let you know when the next one is.”

“Great.” Takeda smiles back, then suddenly starts digging around in his pockets. “Here, let me give you my phone number, you can text me the date and time.”

Ukai's stomach jolts. “O-okay. Yeah, great. That's perfect.”

The teacher scribbles the digits down on a slip of paper he found in his pocket and hands it over to Ukai. “Just send me a text telling me it's you, and I'll let you know that I got it.”

Ukai just nods, not trusting himself to speak without projectile word vomiting 'yeah's and 'great's all over his new friend.

Takeda waves at him and runs off towards the gym, shouting a final farewell over his shoulder.

And now, standing in the hallway looking down at the paper, Ukai doesn't think he has ever been happier. Quickly he programs them into his phone and shoots the number a quick text of _Hey it's Ukai_ before walking to the front entrance.

He doesn't even run through the rain to his car, feeling like the most invincible being in the universe as raindrops fall around him almost as loudly as the drumming of his heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No cliffhanger this time, I don't think, but I hope it still left you guys a bit curious. This one is the longest chapter I've ever written for a fic before, about 11 pages. Also with it being so long it was kind of difficult to proofread so sorry if there are a lot of grammar issues and typos.  
> So I'm not sure how long this is going to end up being, as far as how many chapters there are going to be. But I would like for it to be pretty long. So you've got a lot to...look forward to.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ukai freaks out, sends some texts, and is glared at by a bunch of teenagers. But in the end, he gets his shit together. Kinda.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ayyy  
> So it's finally here. After having the document corrupted three separate times by the failure that is OpenOffice, I have finally finished this chapter. Sorry if it totally sucks. I rewrote it quite a few times so it shouldn't be too awful, but you never know. I'm in the stage where I hate absolutely everything that I write so I don't even know if this is good enough to upload. Also I've never done this kind of fanfiction before so there's that too.  
> ANYWAYS thanks to everyone who commented and subscribed and left kudos!! The support really means a lot, and it is really reassuring to be told that I am not an utter failure.

“No.”

“Oh why not?” Mori whines, leaning forward until his chest is pressed against the countertop. “I promise I'll be subtle.”

“No,” Ukai repeats, more firmly this time. “And get off the counter. I just cleaned that.”

Mori snorts. “Please, your mom just cleaned it, and that was yesterday.” Nevertheless, he sits up straight.

It's noon on Tuesday, Ukai's first day as coach-in-training for the Karasuno volleyball club, and the Neighborhood Association are congregated behind the front counter of the Foothill Store. Shimada and Uchizawa are on their lunch breaks, sitting on the floor behind the counter munching on sandwiches and out of sight of paying customers, and both Mori and Takinoue have the day off from their respective jobs. It has become habit over the years for them all to come there around noon on weekdays, starting in high school when they would come and visit Ukai while he helped his parents run the store after school. Back then they would come later in the day, but as they got older and their schedules changed, they simply adapted. Ukai's parents long ago became resigned to the fact that their son's friends are there to stay, but they didn't let this go without taking advantage. His mother would always make them do some kind of miscellaneous work—sweeping the backroom, helping restock the shelves, scrubbing down the restrooms—in exchange for allowing them to loiter around the front counter for a half hour or more. By now, the men know to complete one chore upon arrival before going to hang out with Ukai, even on days like today when Ukai is running the store solo.

Uchizawa looks up from his sandwich. “Mori's awful ideas aside, I think inviting Takeda to the next game is a good plan. You get some quality time with your teacher, and we get to decide whether or not he is worthy.”

“Okay, please don't call him my teacher?” Ukai requests. “That makes it sound really creepy and really illegal.”

“C'mon, Ukai,” Shimada snickers. “Everyone knows about that crush you had on our math teacher third year. The legalities didn't seem to bother you back then.”

The others laugh, and Ukai glares at them all. He doesn't bother trying to deny it. What can he say? Kuriko-sensei was hot ( _and only twenty-three_ , he wants to add, but he knows better than to go there.).

“At least I didn't have one on Fujioka-sensei back in middle school,” he says casually.

Shimada's face drops in horror, and both Mori and Takinoue turn to him in shock. Their eyes are shining with joy, the purest kind that is only felt when one discovers something truly wonderful.

“You swore you would never mention that,” Shimada whispers. Ukai just shrugs and smirks at him.

Uchizawa's eyes flit back and forth between the two, obviously mystified. “Wait a second. I'm missing something, aren't I?”

Mori's gleeful cackle echoes through the empty store. “That's right! You didn't go to the same middle school as we did, did you, Uchizawa?”

The other shakes his head. “No. Someone please explain.”

“Shimada!” Takinoue gasps between peels of laughter. “W-wasn't Fujioka-sensei...like, eighty years old?”

“And the devil's mother?” Mori adds, still shaking with delighted guffaws. “She tried to give me a detention almost every day.”

“I was twelve!” Shimada protests miserably. “I thought having a crush on someone meant they were your favorite person! She was always nice to me since the other kids would always pick on me—you know what, I don't have to explain myself to you!” He points accusingly at Ukai. “This is all your fault. You coerced me into telling you after telling me the wrong meaning of the word.”

“How else was I supposed to explain it? That's how it was explained to me, and I understood it. I'm sorry you're just not as smart as those glasses make you out to be.”

“I am plenty smart, you ass-!”

“Guys, please, we're getting off topic,” Uchizawa interrupts. He pauses, grinning deviously. “Although I have to say, Shimada, I always knew you were a pervert, but this is beyond my wildest expectations.”

Shimada groans and nearly smashes his face into the remainders of his sandwich. “You all suck.”

“Yes yes, now back to my idea,” Mori says impatiently, mirth turning into seriousness. “What about it is so bad? I'd be doing you a favor, you know.”

Ukai exhales sharply. “Because I want him to like you guys, and what you're thinking could really scare him off. What if afterwards he doesn't want to hang out ever again?”

“That's just worst-case scenario!” Mori says almost desperately. “What makes you think it would get that bad?”

The other four exchange a look.

“Well, Mori, you have been known to ask pretty invasive questions,” Takinoue says slowly.

Mori throws his hands up in bewilderment. “What are you talking about? When have my questions ever been invasive?”

“Remember the first girl Uchizawa brought to one of our games?” Ukai says.

Uchizawa shudders, eyes closing as he tries to suppress the resurfacing memory. “Can we please not talk about that? It's been six years, and she still runs away from me whenever I run into her.”

“You guys are still hung up on that?” Mori says disbelievingly. “I apologized like a thousand times. I promise I won't go that overboard this time.”

“No, Mori.”

“But-”

“No.”

Mori slumps against the counter. “Okay fine. I get it. No talking to the teacher. I don't see why he has to like me anyways,” he mumbles. “It's not like we have to be friends.”

“It's not a matter of whether or not he'll like you,” Shimada says. “It's about not making him feel uncomfortable in a new crowd of people.”

“So you think that I can't be subtle? It's been six years since that incident, I've gotten better at the whole toning it down a notch thing.”

“That, and it would be a nice bonus if he likes you,” Ukai adds.

Mori turns to him with sad eyes. “But we've been friends for years. You've seen me at my worst, and you guys like me just fine, right?”

“When you're not being annoying all the time, yeah,” Ukai snaps, and Mori visibly wilts. Ukai's expression softens. “Of course we like you. You're awesome.”

And it's true. Ukai knows that Mori can be a lot to handle, with his seemingly endless supply of energy and tendency to not take anything seriously. But the two of them have been friends since before middle school. Through all of this time, he has rarely ever complained about Ukai's moodiness, and he has always been the first to come to the defense of his friends, be it with words or—more commonly in high school—with fists. His loyalty and affection know no bounds, and Ukai can't help but feel a little guilty, like he has taken his friend for granted.

Mori brightens at his words, throwing his arms around Ukai's shoulders in a tight hug. “Thanks, Ukai! You're not too bad yourself.”

“Gee thanks,” Ukai grumbles, trying to pry his grip from him. “Now get off me before I take it back.”

Mori releases him with a grin and looks at the others triumphantly. “See? I always knew I was his favorite.”

“That's not what I said.” Ukai pauses for a moment, contemplating one last time before making his decision. “Alright. You can ask him a few questions. But nothing overly personal, no dragging him off to talk to him one-on-one, and no directly asking his sexual orientation, you hear?” he adds warningly as Mori begins to bounce up and down in his seat.

“Of course! I wasn't going to do that anyways,” Mori scoffs. There is a beat of silence. “But you might have to elaborate on what you mean by overly personal because that is really very vague-”

“Ask yourself, 'How would I feel being asked this question?' and if the answer is 'uncomfortable' then don't ask it,” Shimada says simply.

Mori nods. “Okay. I can do that.” He smiles at Ukai. “You won't regret this, I promise. In fact, I'll make sure you're thanking me.”

“I'll hold you to that,” Ukai tells him. He has a sinking feeling that this is in fact a huge mistake, but he can't take it back now. Mori needs him to put his trust in him, and he doesn't want to risk hurting his friend for the sake of someone else. _And if it goes that badly, I can use it as a reason to never let him near a potential boyfriend ever again. And remember the key word_ , potential, he reminds himself forcefully.

“Does Sensei know when our next game is?” Uchizawa asks suddenly, pulling Ukai from his train of thought.

Ukai considers the question. “Do we know when our next game is going to be?”

“Didn't we agree on tomorrow night?” Takinoue says. “Is that going to still work now that you have the coaching gig?”

“I don't see why not,” Ukai says. “Gramps ordered his week's worth of healthy snacks for the team this past weekend. If our years on the team are anything to go off of, that means the first practice tournament shouldn't be until Friday or Saturday.”

“Perfect,” Shimada says. “And if it's any earlier we can just reschedule for a later date. I know my week is completely open.”

The others voice their agreement, and Ukai feels a twinge of gratitude towards them. It's days like these that he remembers how lucky he is to have such great friends. Not that he'd ever say that out loud. That would be so embarrassing.

“So just let us know what the teacher says when you ask him at practice,” Shimada says.

Ukai's jaw tightens, and he nods hesitantly. “Yeah, right. Or I could, you know, just text him or something,” he adds, trailing off quietly.

Uchizawa sits up straight. “Wait. What was that?”

“Oh, it was nothing,” Ukai says hastily. “Just thinking out loud.”

“That wasn't nothing,” Mori says wickedly. “That sounded like you saying that you have Sensei's number!”

Ukai makes a distressed noise. He knew he shouldn't have said anything. Now his friends are going to start saying encouraging things, getting his hopes up that maybe obtaining Takeda's phone number so quickly means something more than it does. He doesn't want to think like that. “Maybe?”

“Ukai!” Takinoue exclaims. “Why didn't you mention this? When did it happen? How did it happen?”

“This right here is why I didn't mention it,” Ukai snaps. “I knew you guys would get all excited and make a big deal out of it. It wasn't anything special. He told me to text him when the next game is so he can work it into his schedule, nothing else.”

“So text him!” Uchizawa says. “Have you guys texted at all? Hell, if it was me, I would be texting him nonstop.”

“Yeah, and that is why you don't have a girlfriend,” Mori snickers.

Uchizawa puts a hand on his chest. “Okay, ouch. That was unnecessary.”

“And true.”

“Shut up!”

“Both of you, be nice,” Shimada scolds.

Mori rolls his eyes. “Yes, Mom.”

Uchizawa chuckles, and the two high five. Ukai shakes his head at them in wonderment.

“How are you two functioning adults?” he asks.

“We aren't,” Mori responds. “Now you need to text your teacher friend.”

The others all agree, and Ukai feels nervous apprehension coiling in his stomach.

“I don't know, guys,” he says hesitantly. “What if he's in the middle of class? His phone might go off during a lecture and embarrass him.”

“Is that embarrassing?” Takinoue asks curiously. “I can't see how it would be.”

“Yeah, my phone goes off at work all the time,” Uchizawa says.

Ukai glares at him. “You are a salesman in an office. You make your living off of your phone going off.”

Uchizawa shrugs and glances at his watch. “Speaking of the office, I need to be getting back. My break ends in five minutes.” He stands up from his seat on the floor and brushes himself off. “Make sure to tell me what the plan is, alright? And good luck on your first day coaching.”

Shimada also gets up. “I need to go, too. For what it's worth, Ukai, I think you should text him. There's no harm in trying. Just keep it simple, and if he doesn't respond, just ask him when you see him later today.”

The two say their farewells and exit the store, leaving Ukai alone with Mori and Takinoue, who waste no time trying to convince him to send Takeda a text.

“There's no harm in trying,” Mori insists. “Besides, he may not even be teaching a class right now.”

“But what if he is?” Ukai says. “If his phone doesn't go off, then he might not even check it before volleyball practice. I may as well just wait until I see him later.”

“Or you could take the chance that he will check his phone and respond to you?” Takinoue says. “Then you'll have an excuse to keep talking to him, too, and maybe open the door for more future conversations through texting.”

There is a moment of silence as Ukai takes in their words. He doesn't understand why this is so difficult. Texting has never really been an issue for him since it's not something he's made a habit of doing regularly, but whenever the need arises it's been easy. Ukai considers himself to be someone who isn't worried about what others interpret his words to mean, thus most of what he says is straight to the point (Mori like to joke that it is the only straight thing about him). So why is Takeda so different?

“We can help you if you need,” Mori offers.

Ukai snorts. “I'm sure I can handle it by myself, thanks.”

Mori brightens. “Does that mean you'll send it?”

Ukai doesn't respond. He may as well just send it. Like they're saying, what's the real harm? He pulls his phone out of his pocket with a heavy sigh. “Fine. I'll do it.”

His friends pat him on the back, hooting victoriously and offering advice on what to say. Ukai ignores them and types out a quick message, reading it over a few times with his thumb hovering over the 'Send' button. Mori senses his hesitation and holds out a hand.

“Here, give it to me and I'll tell you if it's good or not,” he says. “I promise I won't go through any of your messages or send it for you,” he adds at Ukai's look of apprehension. “Scout's honor.”

Ukai rolls his eyes, handing his friend the phone. “That's in America, you idiot.”

Mori ignores him, instead turning his eyes to the screen, face pinched in concentration. His eyes flit back and forth over the words a few times, then he nods his approval.

“It's good,” he says. “Very you. Simple, straightforward.” He grins. “I'd say it's the only-”

“The only straight thing about him, yes,” Takinoue finishes for him with a pointed look. “We know.”

Mori huffs and hands the phone back to Ukai. “You all need to learn to appreciate good humor.”

“We do appreciate it,” Ukai responds. “It just stops being good after the first three times hearing it, much less the fiftieth time.”

“That joke will never stop being funny.”

“You can't stop something that never started,” Takinoue retorts, and Ukai sniggers.

Mori makes a face at them. “Just send the damned text.”

Ukai flicks him off, but complies.

 

**To: Sensei**

**12:59 PM**

hey sensei, sorry to bother you, just wanted to let you know that my friends and I are having our next game tomorrow night, let me know if you can come and i'll send you the address

 

He stares down at the message, some of the anxiety fading from his mind and easing out of his stomach. Now that the text is sent, he can't help but feel like a total idiot. Not only for feeling nervous, but also for being hopeful about the whole situation. Ukai doesn't exactly have the best track record as far as dating goes. Sure, he's successful with basic attraction, if the amount of strangers he's managed to either make out with behind a bar or (very rarely) hook up with has anything to say. But when it comes to long term relationships? The longest one he's had was six months long, and that was his third year in high school. The rest were all under three months, and the last one ended two years ago. It isn't that he isn't invested in the relationships. There has just been too much fear of getting caught on his part, and not enough patience on the other end to help him through. How could he think that this time could possibly be an exception? He's better off alone, taking the attention when he can get it instead of asking for anything that he can't handle.

Besides, Takeda's probably straight anyways...

“Stop that.”

Mori's reprimanding tone breaks through his thoughts, and he turns to him in confusion.

“Stop what?” he asks.

“Thinking so loudly,” Takinoue answers. “It's getting annoying. Besides, it's probably just something stupid.”

“And not stupid in the sense that you think it's stupid,” Mori says, “but stupid in the sense that you're probably thinking something really stupid and self-deprecating about yourself that is totally not true. You feel?”

Ukai averts his gaze, keeping it trained on the speckled surface of the counter. Is he really that transparent? He doesn't want his friends to see him like this, so weak and vulnerable. They pose no danger of hurting him because of it, for Ukai could never imagine either of them doing anything like that, but he can't stand it when he comes off as anything but sure to them.

“It's okay to want this, you know,” Mori says softly, prompting Ukai to look at him. His eyes are sad but comforting, like he knows exactly what his friend is thinking. “You don't have to be so scared of being hopeful.”

Ukai opens his mouth to respond, then his phone vibrates in his hand. Mouth snapping shut, he unlocks the screen and opens the message.

 

**From: Sensei**

**1:07 PM**

don't worry youre not bothering me, and i'll definitely be able to make it tomorrow night!

 

Ukai stares dumbly down at the screen. He has no idea what to do now. Should he respond now? Should he wait a couple minutes? He thinks he's heard something about responding too soon means you're too eager. Is that true, or is that just shit to make angsty teenagers feel better about being angsty?

“Well?” Mori demands. “What does it say?”

“Can he make it tomorrow?” Takinoue adds. They crowd behind Ukai to get a look at his screen, peering over his shoulder.

“Hey, back off!” Ukai snaps, hiding the screen from view. “Yes, he can come tomorrow. I'm just gonna send him the address.”

“Then get typing,” Mori tells him.

There is a pause as Ukai hesitates. Really? Respond right away? He wonders if Mori knows texting etiquette, if there is such a thing. But he doesn't want to ask him about it and sound stupid.

“What are you waiting for?” Takinoue demands. “You know the three minute rule is bullshit, right?”

Ukai's frown deepens. “The what rule?”

“You know,” Takinoue says impatiently. “The three minute rule. That stupid idea that you have to wait three minutes before texting back someone you like. Just text him back and don't worry about the timing. You initiated the conversation. Take control of it.”

Heat spreads across Ukai's face, and he shifts uncomfortably in his chair. “I know,” he lies, his voice a low mutter. “I was just trying to remember Uchizawa's address.”

Mori's lips twitch upward. “Sure.”

Ukai doesn't bother shooting him a glare. Keeping the screen tilted away from his friends, he types out 'awesome, everyone's really excited to meet you' and tacks the time and address on at the end.

“See? That wasn't too hard, now, was it?” Mori says.

Ukai nods distractedly, not even picking up on his smug tone. He wonders if he shouldn't have said something else. Looking back on the message, it might put pressure on Takeda to make a good impression, and that is the last thing he wants. His aim is to make the teacher feel as comfortable there as possible and not have to worry about impressing his friends. Did he just screw that up?

His phone buzzes as a new message appears on his screen.

 

**From: Sensei**

**1:12 PM**

I look forward to meeting them too, do you need me to bring anything?

 

Ukai bites back a smile and a sigh of relief, and he forces himself to take a deep breath and relax. Everything will be fine, he tells himself, if he stops worrying. Just be natural. Like Takinoue said, take control.

 

**To: Sensei**

**1:13**

just yourself, its mori's turn to bring the beer so were good on that, but if you want to bring food for yourself feel free

 

**From: Sensei**

**1:14 PM**

you don't eat anything afterwards?

 

**To: Sensei**

**1:15 PM**

depends on whether or not anyone remembers to bring food, or if uchizawa actually remembered to get groceries

 

**From: Sensei**

**1:16 PM**

i'm definitely going to bring something for you then, you should know that its important to eat after exercising

 

**To: Sensei**

**1:17 PM**

Aw sensei are you worried about me?

 

**From: Sensei**

**1:18 PM**

as if, i'm just making sure youre setting a good example as a possibly future coach

 

Ukai chuckles.

“Wow.”

“That really is something.”

Ukai jumps. He completely forgot that Mori and Takinoue are still there. A twitch of embarrassment settles in his fingers, and a scowl hastily replaces his smile.

“What?” he snaps as the two continue to stare at him with raised eyebrows.

“Well, for one thing, you smiled,” Mori informs him. “Really cutely and peacefully, like how a normal person reacts to seeing a box of kittens. Secondly, we've been saying your name for like five minutes trying to get your attention.”

“You have?” Ukai says, perplexed. “You must not have been trying very hard because I didn't hear you.”

Mori throws his hands up. “Seriously? We were practically shouting! What are the two of you talking about, anyways?”

He reaches for the phone again, and this time Ukai isn't able to keep it out of reach.

“Hey, give that back!” he protests angrily, grabbing at it. “I can just tell you if you really want to know.”

But Mori is already showing the screen to Takinoue and scrolling through the brief messages, grins growing wider by the moment.

“I like this guy!” Mori declares. “That sass in the last message...You know, Ukai, this just might be good for you. He balances out your killjoy attitude perfectly.”

“He seems really nice,” Takinoue offers sincerely. He starts to pry the phone from Mori's hand. “Now come on, give it back to him, he's gotta respond still.”

“Noooo I'm not done yet!” Mori complains as Takinoue hands the phone back to Ukai.

Ukai snatches it back with a glare at Mori. “Yes you are.”

The bell at the door rings suddenly as a customer enters, prompting Ukai to glance at the clock. It's been over an hour since his friends first arrived. Usually by now they would have all left, allowing Ukai to prepare for the afternoon rush. Thankfully they helped him stock up before settling in to talk so he doesn't have to do anything more to prepare. Nevertheless, it is time for Mori and Takinoue to leave. Mori immediately starts whining.

“Unless you want to stick around and help for free,” Ukai threatens, and Mori immediately says that, oh my, look at the time, he should really be on his way. He and Takinoue say goodbye and leave, Takinoue wishing him luck at practice on the way out.

Ukai turns back to his phone. A ghost of the smile from earlier tugs at the corner of his lips as he rereads the last message from Takeda. He decides—without much thought—that he rather likes this naturally playful side of the teacher. Glimpses of it had shown during their previous interactions, but he has a a sense that there is more to it than meets the eye.

 

**To: Sensei**

**1:25 PM**

wow, and here I thought we were friends

 

**From: Sensei**

**1:27 PM**

are we?

 

Panic flares in Ukai's chest. Wait, was he being serious before? Has Ukai read too much into this?

_Shit! What the hell do I do?_

He's never had to deal with this before. He never makes assumptions about his relationships with people, for this specific reason. Now he's overstepped his bounds. God, what was he thinking?! Just because he established that Takeda doesn't hate him doesn't mean they're—!

 

**From: Sensei**

**1:28 PM**

sorry I just realized how that must sound

 

**1:29 PM**

I guess that I just didnt know what you were thinking

 

**1:29 PM**

I didnt want to make any assumptions, since we kind of just figured out that we dont hate each other yesterday

 

“Oh thank god,” Ukai declares.

He says it a little more loudly than he intended. His voice echoes across the store, and the only customer turns to look at him curiously. Ukai coughs in embarrassment, trying not to shoot the man a glare, and turns back to his phone.

 

**To: Sensei**

**1:31 PM**

I understand, I was kinda thinking the same thing, sorry if I made you uncomfortable

 

**From: Sensei**

**1:32 PM**

not at all, I was just taken by surprise

 

**1:33 PM**

I would like for us to be friends, too

 

Ukai's face begins to sting as his smile widens even further, and he needs to remind himself to stay calm. His heart doesn't listen as it continues to pound painfully in his chest, and when he gasps for breath suddenly he realizes that he hadn't been breathing.

Takeda wants to be friends with me. We are friends.

 

**To: Sensei**

**1:34 PM**

yeah, thatd be pretty great-

 

Someone clears their throat, and he looks up in the middle of typing to see the customer standing at the counter with a basket of items. His smile quickly snaps back into a frown, and he holds up one finger to signify that he'll be with him in a moment. The customer crosses his arms and huffs impatiently, but Ukai just ignores him and turns back to his screen.

 

**To: Sensei**

**1:34 PM**

yeah, thatd be pretty great. I gotta go now, customers to attend to, see you at practice?

**From: Sensei**

**1:35 PM**

definitely!

 

Ukai smiles to himself one last time, feeling ready to tackle the world as he sets aside his phone and checks out the customer.

The rest of the afternoon flies by in a blur, and before long Ukai is leaving for the high school. His bright spirits have managed to remain in tact, despite a heavy wave of whiny customers over the past few hours, the promise of seeing Takeda and talking to him in person keeping him ready and willing to put up with whatever is thrown at him. The prospect of having to spend time with a bunch of teenagers doesn't even seem nearly as loathsome as usual, and he finds himself actually looking forward to meeting the volleyball club.

If only the same could be said for them about him.

 

Ukai wishes the floor of the gym would split open and the Earth would suck him down to its core.

The members of the Karasuno Volleyball Club have been staring him down for the last few minutes as Coach introduces him and tells the them his reason for being there. At least, that's what Ukai assumes he is talking about. He stopped paying attention about ten seconds in when the glares started.

Because, holy _shit_ , are they glaring.

The scrutiny in their eyes extends beyond apprehension, extending so far as pure dislike in some. Now, Ukai knows just as much as anyone that a group of teenagers can be a brutal and terrifying thing, but even when kids this age were his peers he was never this scared of them. There's this one tall kid with a goatee and hair tied up in a messy bun that looks like he could beat the living shit out of him if he wanted to (and he looks like he wants to), and the dark haired boy from the diner has his arms crossed and his eyes narrowed in a manner that is much too intimidating for a high school student. Monk Cut and some shrimpy scrap that appears to be a middle school student are standing side by side in solidarity trying and failing to look scary, but their stares are the most hate-filled.

Ukai wishes he could flee the room, but even if he did have so little self respect as to do that, he wouldn't be able to because his legs seemed to have locked in place.

“...expect all of you to be respectful and listen to what he has to say,” Coach is saying. “He knows more about volleyball than any of you could ever hope to at your age. Now, I know that your confidence has been shaken since last year's third years have moved on, and incorporating a new coach on top of that is not going to be easy. I want you all to trust me and know that this is not something that I am taking lightly. This team has great potential. Even if the incoming first years don't have much to offer, I have faith that the lot of you can restore the team back to its glory days. I want to see you all bringing 'em hell at the spring preliminaries and carry the team on to nationals. Only the best is sufficient to help you on your way, and I do believe that Ukai here is just that. Now start the warm-ups!” he barks. “And no slacking! I'll be watching the whole lot of you.”

The players do as they are told following the chant of “Yes, Coach!” and Ukai's grandfather turns to him with a clap on the shoulder.

“Don't worry,” he assures him. “They'll warm up to you.”

“Oh.” Ukai clears his throat anxiously. “You, ah, noticed that too?”

“Of course,” Coach says lightly. “But I wouldn't worry about it. They are all under a lot of stress right now. Not only are the spring tournaments coming up, but they have to play without their third years from the previous season, and without assistance from the new first years. Not to mention we just lost three of our players.” His expression turns grim. “It's not going to be easy, Keishin. We have a lot of work to get done if they are going to stand any chance of making it to nationals, and I am only staying through the spring tournaments. Then you will be more or less on your own.”

Ukai swallows uneasily. This is all becoming so much more than he thought it would be, so quickly. He knew that coaching is more difficult than most people assume, but the responsibility is more than he expected. Looking around, he searches for Takeda at the door or by one of the benches, but he is nowhere to be seen. Ukai feels his confidence fading. “Do you really think I'll be able to handle it?”

“I wouldn't have asked you if I thought you couldn't,” his grandfather responds. “Don't get so overwhelmed. You're not going to be on your own for some time.” He turns to the court with a gleam in his eyes. “Now. Do you want to see what these boys are made of?”

He calls the team to set up for receives, and the boys all line up. Coach motions for Ukai to move onto the court, and he gets in position to spike volleyballs to the players. Watching carefully as the players run and dive across the floor after the ball, he is impressed but can tell there is a lot of work to be done. Monk Cut's shrimpy friend (Nishinoya, he thinks) is an excellent receiver, and he can tell without Coach informing him that the kid is the team's libero. Aside from him and the grim dark haired boy, however, most of the others are rather sub-par, missing on average half of the spikes Ukai sends their way. He mentions this to Coach when the team moves on to practice spiking and blocking.

Coach's face pinches in frustration. “Trust me, I know. I've been focusing most of our practices recently on receives in hopes that they would improve, and though there has been some progress most of them are still struggling. That's partially why I've been researching so many new defense tactics, because what they have now is not going to get them through the spring prelims.” He hums in mild distress. “They seem to be even more off today than usual. It's strange, they were all doing so much better the last couple of weeks.”

Ukai watches a silver haired boy send tosses to each of the players. He's quite good, accommodating for his teammates with familiarity and confidence, though there is nothing really flashy or spectacular about it. An average setter, with more locked up potential awaiting to be discovered.

The setter tosses easily to the tall kid with the goatee, and the powerful spike is made without so much as the bat of an eyelid. The players on the other side of the net barely even move to block it. A light goes on in Ukai's head. He watches several more exchanges, taking in the way the team moves as a unit, synchronizing into a rhythm of each other's movements, until he is sure enough to speak up.

“Don't worry,” Ukai tells his grandfather. “I think I might know part of the problem.”

He is given a questioning look, but he doesn't elaborate. “Mind if I speak to the team?”

Coach regards him for a moment before nodding slowly, blowing his whistle to summon the players from the court. They gather around the two adults, confusion written all over their faces, though Monk Cut looks more peeved than anything. He was next in line to spike.

“Is everything alright, Coach?” the setter asks.

“Was there something wrong with my spike?” the goatee kid stutters anxiously, eyes wide with terror. His jumpy movements and the way he hugs himself timidly is an amusing contrast to his intimidating build. Ukai has to bite his tongue to keep himself from laughing as the boy titters nervously to himself.

“Don't worry, Asahi, your spike was fine,” Coach assures him. “Ukai just has something that he wishes to share with all of you.” He nods to his grandson, and all eyes turn to Ukai.

Aaaand, the glares are back.

_Don't squirm don't squirm don't squirm....don't let them get to you. You're twenty-six years old, damn it! They're just another group of loud brats causing a ruckus in your store._

Ukai takes a deep breath.

“You're all decent players, from what I have seen so far,” he begins. He points at the shrimp and the dark haired boy. “You two are great at receives.” Then at the goatee kid. “And you are a promising ace.” The silver haired boy. “A skilled setter.” The team's faces slowly begin to relax, and Ukai's confidence gains as he continues. “You all are incredibly in sync, and it is clear to see that you trust each other. This is a great skill to have, 'cause in a match, as I'm sure you all know, you need to be able to read the movements of your teammates. However. I have noticed that it is also causing some harm to your individual growth. You are all used to each other, and so you aren't being challenged anymore. Coach here says that for most of you, your receives were not as good as usual. Now correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm guessing that he is the one that usually spikes for you?”

No one says anything, but one or two of them nod their confirmation.

“Today, I spiked the balls to you,” Ukai says. “I mixed things up for you, used my own techniques. And few of you were able to adapt quickly enough to stop it from hitting the ground. Of course, you can't do much of anything about it, aside from more practice matches. You only have each other to work with. But I think you might be able to help yourselves by making a bigger effort to shake things up a bit. Try new attacks. Don't let yourselves fall into a routine, because once you do that you're going to be totally unprepared for your opponents.”

The gym falls into silence as he stops talking. Ukai clears his throat and rubs the back of his neck as they all stare at him. No longer is he met with hateful gazes, but it is still hard to remain unfazed when they're all looking at him so critically.

“So yeah,” he finishes lamely. “That's essentially it. I can try to think up some way of helping you guys further before the practice match. When is that, by the way?” he adds weakly to his grandfather.

“Saturday.”

“Saturday,” Ukai echoes. “Right. Good. Yeah, so that leaves plenty of time to figure things out.”

The teens continue to look at him with unblinking eyes. Coach glares at them all.

“Well?” he snaps. “What do you say?”

“Thank you, Ukai-kun!” the silver haired boy pipes.

“THANK YOU, UKAI-KUN!”

The words echo thunderously through the gym, and Ukai feels his face burning bright red. He is more relieved than embarrassed, thankful that the students are no longer glaring at him. But they are still staring. And that is not cool.

“Ah, yeah,” he says. “No problem.”

“Now back to work!” Coach bellows. “I want to see you all applying this. Go!”

The players run back to their previous positions, their coach shouting at them as they stumble about.

“Wow,” he overhears one of them murmur to another, “Ukai might actually be kinda cool if he wasn't such an ass to...”

Ukai hangs back a little, feeling unnerved. He doesn't like speaking to groups of people he doesn't know well. The act almost always leaves him feeling drained and a bit shaky on his feet, like his legs could give out at any moment, and a minute or two of space away from any activity is needed in order to regain his composure. And then hearing those words...Who had he been an ass to that the club members would dislike him so?

His mind flashes back to the diner, how the students crowded protectively around Takeda as he murmured something to them with sad eyes fixed on Ukai.

He curses under his breath. Of course. The club took Takeda with them to lunch after he and Ukai had their misunderstanding. Which Takeda must have mentioned. And now the teenagers think that Ukai is a total asshole who hurt the feelings of their beloved faculty adviser.

“I'm impressed.”

Startled, Ukai spins around to see Takeda standing behind him, dressed in his green track jacket with a clipboard hugged against his chest.  A gentle smile lights up his face.

“Coach said you were quite observant, but I don’t really think I understood what he meant,” he continues admiringly.  His smile widens.  “Now I do.”

Ukai can feel the heat spreading across his face and scowls at himself.   _Stop that.  You haven’t even said hello yet._

“Uh, thanks,” he murmurs, looking away to hide the soft smile threatening to break through.  “I, uh...yeah.  So why were you late today?  Not that you have to be here at all, of course,” he adds hastily.  “I’m sure you have other shit to do, like grading.  And...and other teacher things.”

“I do,” he affirms, graciously overlooking Ukai’s stammers, “but that’s actually not why I’m late.”  He holds out the clipboard, eyes shining with excitement.  “I got us another practice match!”

Ukai blinks in surprise, reaching out to take the clipboard.  Takeda organized a practice match?  When Ukai was in high school, the faculty adviser only showed up to practice maybe once a month, much less helped out in any way.  He can’t help but wonder just why Takeda is so dedicated to the team, for his work truly extends above and beyond any possible expectations, as he scans the information on the paper before him.  It’s not a high ranking school by any means, at least not from what Ukai has heard, but a practice match is a practice match.  Karasuno can take as many of those as they can get.

“Wow, Sensei,” he says, amazed.  “How’d you manage that?  Doesn’t Gramps have to schedule matches?”

Takeda shakes his head, rather proud of himself.  “No, Coach told me how to contact other teams and try to get one scheduled.  I’m really good at organizing things, and I’ve told you how persistent I am, so he thought it was something I could help out with.  This is the second one I’ve gotten to say yes to me so far.”

“Really?”  Ukai raises his eyebrow.  “You don’t mind doing that?”

“Not at all,” Takeda says.  “If it’s the best way for me to help.”

Ukai opens his mouth to respond, but before he can get a word out, he hears his grandfather calling them over from across the court.  He holds his hand out for the clipboard when they reach him, and Ukai dutifully hands it over.  The coach studies the information for a brief moment, nodding in approval.

“Very good work, Sensei,” he says proudly.  “I couldn’t have done better myself.  Thank you for all of your help.”

Takeda waves his hand dismissively, but the telltale red tint on his ears gives him away.  “It’s nothing, really.  They’re good kids, I’m happy to give them a hand.”

Coach hums thoughtfully, still pouring over the paper.  “Yes, but you still go above and beyond, and for that we are all grateful.  Plus your presence is great moral support for all of them,” he adds, gesturing towards the players as they run to and fro on the court.  “They are all rather fond of you.”  He hands the clipboard back to the teacher.  “Now, Keishin, watch them, make sure they’re doing everything right.”

Ukai turns his gaze, which was fixed on Takeda’s cheery face, back to the court, where he tries to keep it for the rest of practice.  It is easier to focus than he thought it would be as he finds himself once again sucked into the world of volleyball, captivated by the motions of the teenagers as they spike and toss and receive over and over again.  He doesn’t call to them often, mostly hanging on the sidelines observing their movements and trying to get a feel for each player’s individual talents and weakness as well as their personalities.  By the end of practice, he has a good idea of what each one is like.

Sugawara, the setter, is just as considerate towards his teammates in his words as he is with his tosses, though he is poor at receives and could work on his spikes.  The goatee kid, Azumane, is clearly the ace, and a gentle giant whose jumpy composure causes him to at times to falter with self doubt.  The dark haired kid, who Ukai finds out is Sawamura the captain, is strong in just about every field, though there is no particularly outstanding skill.  He is simply a good player.  Nishinoya is one of the most skilled liberos Ukai has ever seen play, his short stature allowing him to maneuver quickly across the court, though it also puts him at a disadvantage when it comes to blocks.  Monk Cut, or Tanaka, shows promise as the ace when he reaches his third year, and his along with the libero’s charisma keeps the other players upbeat when they are tired.  His serves, however, could use some touching up.  There are a couple of other players, though Ukai doesn’t notice them much.  They seem like they aren’t really into the practice, like they’d much rather be somewhere else.  Ukai reminds himself to keep an eye on them.

At the end of practice, Coach blows his whistle and orders the team to start cleaning up.  Ukai is yanked from his thoughts at the sound, looking around the gym in slight panic.  He isn’t quite sure what to do with himself.  Should he help clean up?  Does he need to stay behind longer and talk with Coach?

“So what did you think?” Takeda asks, coming to stand beside him.  

Ukai glances at him.  “Of the team?  They’re definitely something.  Lots of work to do, but not unfixable.”

Takeda beams at him.  His glasses have slid down his face, and he pauses for a moment to push them back in place, crinkling his nose as he does so.  Ukai has to look away to keep himself from staring.

“Good!” Takeda says.  “I’m glad you think so.  They work very hard.”

Ukai nods, watching the team as they begin to sweep up the gym.  “I can tell.  But they’re going to have to work harder if they want to make it further.  Other teams are-”  He stops.  He suddenly doesn’t feel like talking about volleyball anymore.  “But we have plenty of time to worry about that.”

He wants to listen to Takeda.

“Are you busy tonight?” he asks before he can stop himself.

Takeda’s eyes widen.  “What?  You mean, now?”

Ukai feels his heart racing in his chest. _C’mon, you can do it, just a bit more._  “Yeah.  Or, do you have a lot of marking to do?”

“Oh.  No, I took care of most of that during my free period this afternoon,” Takeda says.  He looks a little dazed.  “Why?”

“I was just, y’know,” Ukai says awkwardly, gesturing at himself and then the teacher.  “I was thinking we could go out for a drink or something.  Y’know, get to know each other a bit, since we’re gonna be working together.”

Takeda doesn’t say anything for a long while, just staring up at him with almost disbelieving eyes.  Ukai almost starts to panic.  Maybe he’s overstepped his bounds.  He didn’t mean it as a date!  Just getting drinks, find out more about the teacher.  Nothing more.  He’s about to say that they don’t have to, that it’s a stupid idea, when the teacher finally speaks.

“Yes.”  

Ukai brightens immediately.  It’s as if an enormous load has just been taken off of his back.  “Yes?”

“Yes,” Takeda repeats.  He nods a couple of times, slowly, as if to convince himself as well as Ukai that that had indeed been his answer.  The dazed look still hasn’t left his eyes.  “Yes, I would love to.”

Ukai grins.  Yes!!! Victory!!!

“Alright,” he says, though he almost can’t talk at all because of how much he’s smiling.  “I’ll go wrap up with my Gramps, then I’ll meet you out in the parking lot?”

Takeda nods again.  A small smile has begun to tug at his lips.  “Yeah.  Okay.  I’ll see you outside.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm thinking of writing another part of this from Takeda's perspective? Yes/No? Thoughts?  
> We'll see how long it takes to do the next chapter. Hopefully not this long, but my computer charger just decided to die on me so I don't know when I'll be able to start it.  
> ALSO somewhat important, I had someone ask about the setting, so, it takes place shortly before the spring tournaments of Daichi, Suga, and Asahi's third year, so before the Dateko tournament that broke Asahi's spirit. So before Hinata and Kageyama and the other first years. They will, however, make an appearance...


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ukai gets to know some of the new people in his life a little better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heeeeyyy guys...How's it going? It's been so long......  
> But really I'm sorry it took me like 9 months to finish this next chapter. School was awful, and I've been working almost nonstop, and at the beginning of the year my dad kicked me out and so I had to move into my mom's house...so it's just been a bit of a mess. But it's here now, and I am going to try and be more on top of things. I pretty much have this entire fic figured out, but it's just putting it into writing that's going to take a while. 
> 
> Anyways, I hope you enjoy it. Sorry if it's not the best.

Takeda is waiting for him outside of the gym doors.

He is leaning against the wall of the school, his posture poised and relaxed as he gazes down idly at the phone in his hand. His white button-up shirt, now untucked, is just as ill-fitting as his track jacket, and the fabric is creased and rumpled as though he slept in it earlier. With his free hand, he is working the knot of his tie loose and undoing the top button of his shirt, brow furrowed in concentration as he struggles to accomplish this while simultaneously paying attention to whatever is on his phone. All the while oblivious as Ukai stands frozen several feet away, face turning red as he gapes at the sight before him. _God dammit, Takeda, why do you have to make this so difficult?_

Shaking his head, Ukai tries to clear his mind. This is supposed to be a friendly outing, to get to know the teacher. He needs to focus, otherwise this evening is going to tank, all because Ukai seems to have been reduced back to a fifteen-year-old, hormone driven mess. He's twenty-six, damn it, he has better control of himself than this!

He clears his throat, fidgeting with one of his earrings as he forces himself to look at Takeda without turning the color of a strawberry. Takeda looks up from the device in his hand, still struggling with his button, and grins.

“Ah, there you are!” he says, pocketing his phone. “All set to go?”

Ukai nods, throat dry, and has to swallow before replying. “Yeah, sorry to keep you waiting.”  
Takeda shrugs. “It wasn't all that long. Besides, I usually have to stay longer to finish markings, so if anything I'm getting out early tonight.”

He smiles brightly at Ukai, and the blond feels his lips twitch upward in what he hopes is a smile but feels more like a leer. Takeda doesn't seem bothered, though, as he continues to smile when he finally manages to pop his button loose.

“Shall we?” he asks, gesturing towards the road, and Ukai nods again.

“So, what bar did you have in mind?” Takeda asks as they begin the walk into town. The sun is dipping its way beneath the horizon, bathing everything in orange and pink light. There are still a few more weeks before spring officially begins, but the trees have already begun to bud, and the nip in the air that was present just days ago has disappeared. It has been replaced not quite by warmth, for it is still cold enough to warrant a jacket, but Ukai no longer needs to stuff his hands in his pockets in order to keep them from going numb and stiff. He does so anyways, if only to find something to blame for his sweaty palms other than nerves.

“There's this one near the center of town I've gone to a couple times,” Ukai suggests. It's not a bar he frequents, since the prices are a bit higher than he cares to spend and it's classier than the ones he usually goes to. He doesn't have to worry, though, that the bartender there will recognize him as the guy that somehow manages to scope out the only other non-straight man in the place and drag him out back for some casual making out. So he figures the dent in his wallet will be worth it.

Takeda brightens at the suggestion. “Ah, the one across the street from that ramen place?”

“Yeah, that one.” Ukai glances at him, uncertain. “Did you, uh...Did you like that one?”

“Of course! It was the first one I went to when I moved here a few years ago.”

This catches Ukai's attention. From the minimal amount the two have talked, he hasn't been able to find out much about Takeda, and since he doesn't make a habit of getting to know people, Ukai has been struggling to find an opening. Luckily, Takeda just provided one.

“So you're _not_ from around here?” he asks curiously.

Takeda shakes his head. “No, I'm from a small town right outside of Tokyo, actually. I grew up near the city and eventually went to university there, too.”

Ukai raises his eyebrows, amazed. “How did you end up here?”

Takeda's face drops and he looks away, pulling at the tie still hanging loosely around his neck. “Ah. It's a long story.” He smiles at Ukai almost sadly before punching him lightly on the shoulder. “Now tell me about you.”

“Huh? No, you don't want to hear about me.” He would much rather hear about Takeda.

“No, I insist! Besides, I don't want to bog down the night with my boring story.” Takeda nods encouragingly, his smile growing more cheerful. “Tell me about your life here.”

Worry is itching at the back of Ukai's mind, as well as curiosity, but Takeda's continuous nervous tugging at his tie convinces him to let it be.

“Uh, well, I grew up here,” he begins, and for the rest of the walk he is mostly the one who speaks, talking about his job at the shop and some about his years at Karasuno. It's a little awkward at first. He's not used to talking about himself so much, especially with someone so different from his usual company. As he continues, though, Takeda's attention doesn't waver for a moment. He looks at Ukai whenever he can, only glancing away to occasionally watch where they're going, and several time Ukai has to stop him from running into a pole or a tree. Ukai doesn't know if it's cute or funny that he is so attentive, but he quickly decides on funny.

“Now you know entirely too much about me,” Ukai finishes as they approach the bar.

Takeda laughs. “On the contrary, I still don't think I know enough. You haven't told me anything embarrassing yet.”

“Yeah, and why do you think that is?” Ukai grumbles, blushing at the ground.

“Oh, relax!” Takeda teases, opening the door for him. “I'll get something out of you, don't worry. Even if I have to buy you drinks all night.”

Ukai perks up. “Oh, really? Well, in that case, I'll just have to be even more stubborn.”

He dodges the teacher's shove, grinning broadly at him before looking around for an open table. They find one near the back, away from any of those crowded with fancy-looking men in suits who keep giving them (or Ukai, rather) dirty looks. Ukai tries not to feel embarrassed, though looking down at his tattered jeans and stained hoodie—which he did wash, by the way—he can't help but feel he should have changed into something nicer. At least Takeda looks presentable, even if his suit is a little big and wrinkled.

They order their drinks and take a seat. Ukai tries not to take a massive swig of beer as he feels his nerves creeping up on him again, instead bouncing his leg nervously up and down as he takes a couple sips.

“So now it's your turn,” he says before the silence draws on for too long.

“My turn for what?”

“For sharing. You know all about me. It's only fair that you give me your story too, you know.”

“Who says I'm a fair person?”

“ _Takeda_ ,” Ukai says firmly, and the grin falls away from Takeda's face, replaced with a look of surprise. Ukai freezes, brain going panicked once more. “What?”

“Huh? Oh nothing!” Takeda says quickly, smiling once again. “You just...uh, you always call me 'Sensei' so, um...I don't know, it just took me by surprise.”

He picks up his bottle and takes a sip, trying to hide behind the neck of the bottle. Ukai feels the tension drain from his body, laughing and shaking his head.

“Oh. I thought I may have done something,” he says sheepishly. Ever since their previous incident, he's been overly conscious of how his words come across to the other.

He sits up straighter and points accusingly at Takeda. “But you're not getting out of this still.”

Takeda rolls his eyes and huffs. “What's there to know, really? I'm a Japanese Literature teacher who helps out with the volleyball team. Not very exciting.”

“And I'm a store clerk who is going to be coaching that volleyball team. Somehow you found that exciting.”

Ukai can see the teacher's resolve wavering, but he still looks hesitant. Sighing, Ukai sets down his drink and leans forward with his elbows on the table. “Look, Sensei. You don't have to worry about being interesting or exciting. You listened through all my chattering, and I'm sure whatever I had to say will be just as dull and ordinary as what you have to say. But I still want to hear it.”

By the time he stops talking, Ukai's cheeks have gone back to glowing bright red, even though he managed to keep his voice gruff the entire time. When he dares to glance up at Takeda though he finds that the teacher is not in a much better state, a small smile teasing at the corners of his lips as his own blush begins to blossom.

“O-oh.” His voice is quiet, and a little embarrassed, though whether it is for himself or Ukai, Ukai isn't entirely sure. And now he wants to bury his head in a mound of sand. “I—thank you, Ukai. That is very kind of you to say.”

It really isn't.

Ukai grunts noncommittally and picks up his bottle again. “Yeah. Well. Get talking now,” he snaps, glowering at the teacher.

Takeda nods slowly. He is still smiling, but it looks more fragile, like he still isn't wanting to talk. But then he nods again, a little more sure, and some of the tension Ukai didn't even realize was in his back was eased.

“Like I said, I grew up near Tokyo,” the teacher begins. “A tiny, tiny town that next to no one has ever heard of. Um...” He trailed off with a shrug, laughing lightly. “I don't really know what you want to hear? I mean, I didn't really have anything interesting happen. Just an average childhood, school, a few friends. Nothing to brag about.”

“Really? No awards or prizes? No clubs you were a part of? No crazy college shenanigans?”

“Well, I mean...there were a couple, and in high school I...but that's not important.”

“What? No, I'm sure it's very important.”

“But it's not! Besides, it's...kind of embarrassing.”

“Then all the more reason to share.”

“Ukai-kun!” Takeda slaps a hand on the tabletop in exasperation, but the grin on his face tells Ukai that he isn't really angry.

“ _Sensei_ ,” he responds teasingly. “C'mon, I promise I won't laugh. Or at least try not to.”

“Well gosh, thanks, Ukai-kun. That sure puts my mind at ease.”

“You're welcome.”

Takeda chuckles, shaking his head at Ukai. He bites his lip, but he doesn't look quite so reluctant anymore. “Alright. I was president of the Classics Club.”

Ukai raised his eyebrows. “Wait, that's it? I mean, that's not really a surprise—”

“And captain of the chess team.”

“...chess... _team_?”

“Yeah. I was number one in the prefecture. Number one in the nation, actually, as far as high school went. I won the National Japanese High School Chess Tournament all three years.”

There is a beat of silence as Ukai tries to keep himself composed. It felt like every muscle in his face was jumping, trying to force his expression into a smile. “Um. So, what does that make you? King Nerd?”

Takeda furrows his eyebrows. “It makes me a very good chess player.”

“Yeah, but what did they call you?”

Takeda makes a face. “They called me Takeda. This was chess, Ukai-kun, not volleyball. We didn't have some weird obsession with giving every remotely good player some ridiculous nickname.”

Ukai puts down his beer, fixing Takeda with an astonished glower. “Wow. How do you even know about that? I thought you didn't know anything about volleyball.”

“I don't have to know about volleyball to know about the players,” Takeda responds, grinning as he takes a sip of beer. “I mean, they call Nishinoya their _Guardian Deity_. Don't get me wrong, it's pretty cool, but sometimes it seems a little over the top.”

 _Unbelievable_. There were many things Ukai expected Takeda to be: shy, sweet, kind. A people pleaser, maybe even a bit of a pushover. That is nowhere near the case, it would seem, Ukai thinks as he watches the teacher grin smugly at him from across the table. Seeing this confident, intelligent, _sassy_ attitude sends a spark of excitement down Ukai's spine. He can't wait to see what other surprises are in store with Takeda.

“You're right,” Ukai agreed.

Takeda's eyes narrowed in confusion, still smiling. “Right about what?”

“The nicknames.” Ukai set down his beer and folded his hands on the table in front of him. “They _are_ a little over the top. But it's a good way of getting fired up, and helps for you to see your opponent as an obstacle during the game and not as someone who's going to be upset by losing.”

A bark of laughter rings out from the other side of the bar, but Ukai ignores it in favor of gauging Takeda's reaction: a contemplating expression, followed by the corner of his lips quirking just slightly upwards.

“I guess you sports nerds really do have a method to your madness,” the teacher quips, and Ukai can't hold back his laughter.

“Yeah, and you love it,” he teases. “Otherwise we wouldn't be here.”

The smile Takeda gives him sends rays of sunshine shooting through Ukai's veins. “That, I can't deny.”

The warmth doesn't leave Ukai for the rest of the evening.

 

Wednesdays are a disgusting day. Screw the stupid 'hump day' ideology; Wednesday is when everyone else gets out of their beginning-of-the-week funk, and the masses come out in hoards to his shop for a mid-week treat. The morning brings crowds of middle and high school students in before they have to be in class, buying sweet buns for breakfast with money from their parents, and with them they bring a thunderstorm of chatter that in Ukai's mind is not worth the spike in sales. Lunchtime is never much better, either, when he has to listen to grown adults gossip back and forth in the line up to the counter. Usually it leaves him missing the chipper morning teenagers whose main concerns are their swiftly-approaching final exams or their excitement for after-school activities.

Today, though, is different. Nothing changes about the usual Wednesday rush hours, but no matter how loud or high-pitched the teenagers become, or how frustratingly hoity-toity the adults present themselves, Ukai can't seem to be bothered. He exchanges pleasantries with them all as he rings up and cashes out their items, and when he catches his reflection in the glass door as a customer swings it open, there is an almost serene smile on his face.

He doesn't ask himself why he feels like this—really, the answer is so obvious—but he also does his best not to dwell on it. Moods as good as this one don't come all that often, so he tries to enjoy it while it lasts and simply be grateful for such a successful night out with his new friend.

Because truly, the night had been successful. The two had spent several hours amiably chatting back and forth about whatever came to mind which, surprisingly for Ukai, had been quite a lot. Normally when meeting new people, keeping up a conversation is a struggle, but Takeda never seemed to run out of things to say or discuss. He jumped from one topic to the next with such ease, sweeping Ukai along a current of thoughts and ideas that he had never really considered talking to someone else about. It was all so easy and natural, it almost felt as though they weren't total strangers.

And the best part is now, they aren't total strangers anymore.

Ukai's mother arrives before the lunch rush, and his father comes a half hour before he has to leave for the high school. Neither one of them comment on Ukai's shift in personality, but he catches the glances and suspicious smiles they cast at one another when they think he isn't looking. A couple of times he thinks about saying something himself, to ask them just to say whatever it is they're thinking so this can be done and over with, but eventually he decides on just letting it slide. After all, why make a big deal about it if they're not going to?

“Oh, Keishin,” Ukai's mother says as Ukai begins to wrap up his shift.

Biting back a sigh of apprehension, Ukai spares her a glance. “Hm? What is it? Need me to do something before I go?”

“Oh, no, nothing, you did everything right as always,” Ukai's mother assures him. A snort from his father interrupts her.

“If the intention was to be sloppy then, yeah, he did everything right,” he scowls, reaching out to tousle Ukai's hair affectionately. “But lucky for you, you've got me to clean up after your ass in time for us to be home making dinner for the three of us tonight.”

Ukai pauses packing his bag to look at his father, unsure of how to respond. For all the time he spends with his parents at the shop, they don't see much of each other outside of work and whenever he helps gather beans. If his parents are wanting him to have dinner with them, it's probably important.

_But the game with the guys...and Takeda..._

“Dear, that's not how you ask your son to dinner,” Ukai's mother scolds him with a playful slap to the man's shoulder. She turns to Ukai with a smile. “We would love for you to join us tonight if you're not busy. To celebrate your new position helping out your grandfather.”

A jolt passes through Ukai's stomach, and he can't tell whether it is from relief or apprehension. On one hand, this doesn't appear to be about another date for Ukai to suffer through or any further, terrible news on his father's health. But on the other, they seem to be under the impression that Ukai has taken the position permanently, and the last thing he wants to do is disappoint them despite his desire to be as honest as possible.

(Except for when it comes to a certain branch of his life.)

“Oh. Well, I had plans to play with the guys tonight. Have a new friend I wanna introduce them to.”

“Ooh?” Ukai's mother grins, and she and her husband share a knowing glance. “A new friend? Does she have anything to do with why you're in such a good mood today?”

 _Aaand_ there it is.

Ukai doesn't bite back the sigh of frustration this time. “ _He_ is the faculty adviser for the volleyball team, and he wants to learn more about the sport. We're just trying to help him out.”

The following silence feels fragile, and Ukai can practically hear the gears in his parents' heads turning. Or maybe that is his own paranoia setting in.

“You didn't mention a new friend,” his mother says eventually. Her disappointment is clear, though to her credit she does try to mask it over with interest.

“Yeah, well, it never came up,” Ukai grumbles. He can feel his mood already starting to sour. _After all these years, they've never noticed the lack of interest in getting a girlfriend, or girls in general_. Of course they would assume...

He shakes his head and tries to recall happy moments from the night before. He won't let some same old plight ruin his good day, especially one which has already consumed too much of his time through constant fear and dwelling.

“I can come over another night,” Ukai offers, shouldering his bag. “But I can't abandon the guys, specifically Sensei. He's counting on me to get caught up with volleyball and stuff.”

Ukai's mother just hums. “That's a good enough excuse, I suppose.” She turns to him with a grin. “You get out of it this time, but don't think next time you'll be so lucky. If you use this 'Sensei' as an excuse again, I don't care what your plans are. You can bring him to dinner with you and talk volleyball all you'd like, so long as you don't neglect to talk to your father and I as well.”

Ukai's eyes widened, and he gaped at his mother. “What? Ma, come on—”

“No arguing, Keishin,” Ukai's father interrupts sternly. “You know it won't work. Besides,” he adds, and Ukai suppresses a groan. Whenever his father starts a sentence with 'besides' it usually leaves him feeling inadequate in some way or another. “You never make new friends. Since high school you've hung out with the same four people and rarely ever branch out. Excuse us for being curious about this new character.”

“I...make plenty of new friends,” Ukai grumbles halfheartedly. He knows it's a lie just as much as his parents do, so he doesn't give them a chance to argue. “But if it's that important to you I guess I could invite him over next time.”

He feels almost stupid for giving in so easily, especially considering how uncomfortable and downright _weird_ that conversation with Takeda is going to be. _Oh hey, I know we just recently became friends, but my overly-involved parents want to you to come over for dinner sometime because I'm such a loser that making a new friend is just about as exciting as announcing my engagement._

And now Ukai is thinking about what it would be like to introduce Takeda as his fiance. Great. That is exactly the right track he needs to be on right now.

Shaking aside the thought, Ukai ignores his parents' excited chattering and finishes packing what he needs into his bag (really he doesn't need anything more than his pack of cigarettes, keys, wallet, and phone, but I mean, he thinks, you never know, emergencies....) and quickly makes his way to the door. Before he walks out he turns back to his parents, who look like they are far from finished with the conversation. Ukai has no doubt they will continue it long after he has left their presence.

“I'll ask him,” he promises once again, interrupting his mother as she continued to rattle off plans for the dinner. “Alright?”

He's out the door before they can respond, and he releases a sharp, frustrated sigh into the open air. The entire walk to the high school is spent dreading just how he will approach Takeda about this and praying that the teacher isn't so polite that he will accept the invitation. From what he gathered last night, Takeda has no problem speaking plainly about a situation without being offensive, so Ukai has high hopes that he will come up with some good reason or another to keep away from the awkward position. Plus Ukai will make it as clear as possible that Takeda is under _no_ obligation _whatsoever_ to accept and he can stay as _far away_ from Ukai's parents as he sees fit.

That train of thought ends as soon as Ukai enters the high school gym, and a volleyball slams into the door mere inches from his face.

Ukai stops in his tracks, eyes wide and frozen as a shot of adrenaline rushes through his veins. The air is eerily quiet as everyone in the gym stops moving, and Ukai can feel the players' fearful gazes as they watch and wait to see his reaction.

The ball rolls innocently in front of Ukai, bumping into his foot before coming to rest. Ukai's gaze flickers down towards it before snapping up to the players, causing a number of them to flinch and look away, and his eyes settle on the boy with a shaved head, the one who was glaring daggers at him just the day before. This time, though, there is no hateful expression tearing into Ukai's soul. Only shifty-eyed guilt and a touch of nervousness.

Ukai bites his lip to refrain from grinning, and he remains stoically silent as he bends over to pick up the ball, walking straight-backed over towards the boy—Tanaka?—ball in hand. The boy doesn't look at him right away, just glances between Ukai and his shoes, his hands clasped together behind his back as though to remove any possibility that they were responsible for the ball's action. They swing forward protectively when Ukai shoves the ball none too roughly against Tanaka's chest, and Tanaka's eyes widen comically as he turns his head to meet Ukai's gaze.

“Your power is impressive, but it seems like you might need to practice your control,” Ukai almost leers, his lips lilting upward into a smirk, but he manages to keep his tone friendly enough.

For a brief moment Tanaka only looks confused, then he scowls and takes the ball, setting his jaw firmly as he turns away.

“I've got plenty control,” he grumbles, and he glances at Ukai out of the corner of his eye. “...But I'll keep it in mind, I guess.”

 _Well, it's better than nothing_.

Ukai only smiles wider at Tanaka, and the gym slowly awakens back to life as the students move on to continue setting up the gym. Ukai contemplates them as he joins his grandfather at the other end of the room, and he remembers again what it was like to be in their position. Running back and forth with seemingly boundless energy, laughing and carefree with fears that were easily hidden and realities that were barely even tangible ghosting just underneath his skin.

 _The best days of my life_ passes through his head, and Ukai does his best to not find it overwhelmingly sad.

He always swore to himself that he would never become one of those hopeless old losers who looked back on their lives and only found happiness in their high school days, and yet not even ten years from graduation that seems to be exactly what he has become. Surveying the gym he fights down the bitterness rising in his throat and takes in a deep breath.

“Ah, Ukai-san?”

The voice beside him startles Ukai enough to halt him in his path. Turning towards the source, he immediately has to correct his eyes as they narrow suspiciously at the dark-haired boy approaching him. Ukai recognizes him. He is kind of hard to forget, the memory of his strong grip on Ukai's arm and the way his eyes seemed to threaten a murder more terrifying and _legitimate_ than Tanaka's ever had burning into Ukai's mind. Ukai manages to maintain his smile nonetheless but still makes sure to keep at least a foot and a half of distance between himself and the kid.

“What's up?” he asks, and he has to stop himself from smacking himself upside the head. _What's up?! What's fucking up?! This kid is ten times more fit than you and looked about ready to smash your ass into the concrete less than a week ago and you ask_ what's up?! _Fucking idiot why do you leave your house you stu—_

“Sorry if this is, uh, well,” Sawamura(! Ukai remembers his name triumphantly) begins uncertainly, and the anxious tap of his toes eases some of the discomfort in Ukai's gut. “I just wanted to say, I...uh, we owe you an apology.”

Ukai's mental self-berating comes to a stop, and he regards Sawamura with a guarded but surprised expression. “Uh...for what exactly?”

He can already guess what this is about, but he doesn't want to assume anything. After all, most of the things Ukai has thought he deserved an apology for, he really should have been the one apologizing. More likely than not he really has done something to offend this kid and neither of them realize that it was really Ukai's fault.

Sawamura looks even more uncomfortable, but he keeps his head high and meets Ukai's gaze unwaveringly. “For the other day, at the diner. The team and I were rude to you unnecessarily, and as captain it is my responsibility to make sure you know that we are all very sorry for what happened.” As he finishes speaking, he extends a hand to Ukai. “I look forward to having you as our coach.”

“Huh?”

Ukai is stunned, to say the least, not only by the kid's sincerity but also the words themselves. He recalls the time when he was Sawamura's age, and how talking to adults made him feel like he was an ant shriveling under a magnifying glass. Even now, he isn't sure he could ever speak so eloquently when owning up to something he did wrong. A new-found respect for this kid is growing steadily inside Ukai, and he finds himself grinning as he reaches out to exchange an unsurprisingly firm handshake with Sawamura.

“Don't sweat it, kid,” he says as he releases Sawamura's hand. “I don't really blame any of you, but I appreciate you saying that. And, honestly, I'm happy to be here. Lookin' forward to it myself, the more I'm seeing you guys play.”

Excitement sparks in Sawamura's eyes, lighting up his serious expression and transforming his face years younger. “So you think we're good?”

Ukai raises his eyebrows. “Now, I never said that. You are good, but you all have potential to be great,” he continues before the smile on Sawamura's face has a chance to fade away. “Give me some time to read up on the other teams in the prefecture and I'll let you know where I think you guys stand as far as nationals next year.”

Because honestly keeping up with high school volleyball teams has not been something Ukai has concerned himself with over the past several years. But he can't deny or help feeling excited to check up on the other teams, to see if Karasuno's old rivals are still standing strong. His thoughts immediately flash to Nekoma, but he quickly pushes them to the back of his mind, reminding himself that they aren't really something Karasuno needs to be immediately concerned about.

The width of Sawamura's smile is almost concerning, his lips looking almost painfully stretched as he beams at Ukai. “Please, do let us know. We're all really wanting to go as far as we can, and we're willing to work as hard as we need to in order to get there.” He glances away sheepishly, laughing. “It's kinda been our goal—at least, mine, Suga's, and Asahi's—it's been our goal since first year to make it to nationals. And if you can help us get there, we'll owe you big time.”

Stuttering, Ukai shakes his head and chuckles nervously, suddenly feeling a little caged in. “Ah, now, don't say that. I'm gonna do my best, and I don't know how good that'll be yet, so just...don't get your hopes up, alright?”

Ukai couldn't bear it if he got these kids all excited just for them to fail at achieving their dream. Not only is it too much pressure for his first year coaching, but he isn't even sure if the team they have lined up right now is even good enough to break through the third or even the second preliminary matches. Hopefully, if the team is really lucky, it'll bring in some good first years next year. Otherwise the current players will need to improve beyond the powers of a miracle to reach the national stage.

For now, though, he keeps those thoughts to himself. There's no use in destroying the team's morale by telling them right now he doesn't believe they have a fighting chance. After all, if they really believe they can do it, they will get further than if they have no hope whatsoever.

Sawamura nods sagely at Ukai, his smile less intense but no less present. “Of course, Ukai-san. We will all do our best here, and I have no doubt that you will as well. Thank you for your time.”

He bows respectfully, and Ukai has to refrain from coughing in embarrassment, his cheeks already blazing red.

“Ah, stop that, you brat,” he grumbles. “Stand up straight and get on the court, I didn't see you do your stretches yet and there's no way in hell I'm letting you into practice without warming up first. Understand?”

Nodding earnestly, Sawamura does as he is told, calling out his thanks once more over his shoulder. The others are waiting for him, and Sugawara claps him on the back as he joins them, pulling him into a friendly embrace. He whispers something in Sawamura's ear that makes the other's shoulders shake with laughter, and Sugawara laughs along with him until his gaze slides over suddenly to Ukai and sees him watching them.

The shift is immediate as Sugawara quickly lets go of Sawamura and shifts his gaze away from Ukai, his back going stiff and his hands latching together behind his back. There is something resembling guilt and fear shining in Sugawara's eyes, as though Ukai just caught him doing something he shouldn't, and Ukai can only pinch his eyebrows together, perplexed. He wonders, or worries rather, if he said or did something to make the young setter nervous, but he can't think of any kind of interaction they have had that would have caused this. In fact, as far as he can remember, he hasn't even spoken with Sugawara one-on-one since he has known the boy.

There isn't any time left to dwell, however, as his grandfather barks at him to join him. The older man is scowling as though he has a colony of ants living in his nose, and Ukai's stomach sinks painfully. He remembers that face, and he feels a stab of pity for the boys stretching on the court. It's going to be a rough practice.

Ukai's grandfather doesn't say much to him, forgoing a greeting by shoving the day's training regiment (which is just as brutal as Ukai imagined) in Ukai's face, and immediately launching into a brief explanation about upcoming plans for matches. It is difficult to keep up with at first, but it seems as though the routine of Ukai's high school days hasn't quite escaped him yet, and in no time he absorbs every bit of information he is given. From what he can tell, the team has a lot of work to do before their first practice match, and their coach is going to be anything but easy on them.

This practice, Ukai is allowed to take charge more. It is a bit uncomfortable in the beginning, Ukai being so unused to yelling at kids other than to be quiet in his store—a place where he is perfectly secure in his authority to do so—and with how rough the exercises are, but by the time practice is halfway through he has gained confidence and has no problem calling out things that need to be remedied. The kids also seem to have warmed up to him immensely, taking his compliments and criticisms alike with a serious nod and thankful words, and a handful of them even smile at him. All in all, Ukai begins to relax, and everything is suddenly easy. Except...

Except Sugawara will not look at him for more than a few seconds at a time.

Ukai makes a mental note to try and talk to him after practice.

The action on the court draws Ukai in just as easily as last time, to the point where he doesn't even take notice of Takeda's arrival until he hears his grandfather address the teacher behind him.

“I'm surprised you were able to come into school today, after a night out last night,” the coach is saying. To most people it would sound as though he is being snide, but Ukai knows that the old man was just teasing the teacher. “Your age is when your body starts having a harder time taking that kind of treatment, you know.”

Takeda's chime of laughter snatches all of Ukai's attention from the court, and he freezes as he listens for a reply.

“Please, Ukai-san, you're making it sound as though I went bar-hopping,” Takeda says with a laugh. “It was just a couple drinks, at one bar. I was barely even buzzed. Besides, I'm not _that_ old,” he adds in an indignant huff. “I still have a claim to my youth. I'm not even half your age, you know.”

 _Wait a second..._ Ukai has to resist turning around and demanding to know just how old Takeda is. From the way his grandfather is talking, it sounds as though he's in his mid-thirties, but there's no way that can be right. Takeda doesn't look a day over twenty-one, though from his years of schooling and what sounds like a good few years of teaching experience he must be older than that.

Still...there's no way he could be older than Ukai. There is just no way. No one ages that well, unless they've had cosmetic surgery, and Takeda is definitely not the type to do that.

Right?

Glancing uncertainly over his shoulder, Ukai watches Takeda out of the corner of his eye. His gaze roams Takeda's face, over every curve and line of his face, trying to find some hint of work done that could explain why the teacher looks _so damn young._ But of course, there is nothing. Every millimeter of skin looks natural, almost perfect, with little blemishes here and there. The lightest of freckles trail along Takeda's face, and there are crinkles lining the corners of his eyes. Probably from all the time he spends smiling, Ukai muses with a grin.

Snapping back to reality, Ukai quickly turns back to the court, determined to pay every ounce of his attention to anything _but_ Takeda's very distracting face. It is a task easier said than done this time around, mostly because Takeda keeps laughing and Ukai can't help but feel jealous (and just a tad bitter) that he isn't the cause of it. Not that he really has any right to be, of course, since he could very easily turn around and join in the conversation. But, he tells himself, if Takeda wanted to talk to him he probably would have extended some kind of greeting when he first entered the gym...

Despite his disgruntled feelings, Ukai makes it through the rest of practice just fine, and as he reflects on the time spent there that day he realizes that it really was a lot of fun. This whole coaching thing isn't as hard as he thought it might be, at least now that the students don't all seem to despise him.

The thought reminds him of Sugawara, and for a moment he forgets about Takeda. His eyes search through the team for the head of silver hair among them as they begin cleaning up the gym. It doesn't take him long to spot the boy, across the gym exiting a supply closet with a mop in hand. Ukai bites his lip, gathering his thoughts. He isn't quite sure how he is supposed to approach this situation. It would most likely be best if he outright asks if he has done something to offend Sugawara, since dancing around the topic would only make things more uncomfortable. With a resolute nod to himself, Ukai takes a deep breath and takes a step forward.

“Ukai-kun!”

Takeda's voice and a small hand on his shoulder stops Ukai in his tracks, and he turns to see Takeda's friendly smile.

“Ah, hey there, Sensei,” Ukai says stiffly, feeling suddenly very warm. Especially where Takeda's hand rests on his shoulder. “Late again?”

Takeda raises his eyebrows, looking amused. “I got here right on time, actually. I said hello, too, but I think you were a little too absorbed in the practice to notice.”

Ukai's stomach drops at that, and his mouth hangs open in horror. “Oh. I, uh, didn't mean to ignore you, Sensei. Sorry 'bout that.”

His apology is brushed away by a wave of Takeda's hand. “Don't worry about it, Ukai-kun, I'm not upset. It's good to see you so passionate about coaching these boys. I know the team will be in good hands when Coach retires.”

Ukai fiddles with his earring and glowers at the other, his face heating rapidly. “R-right. Thanks for the vote of confidence.”

“Of course!” Takeda says cheerily, either ignoring or simply not registering Ukai's embarrassment. “I'm sure Coach thinks the same thing.”

The mention of his grandfather immediately sobers Ukai's good mood, and he has to resist rolling his eyes. The coach may have allowed Ukai to take the reins on this practice, but Ukai can imagine that the man will give him a merciless critique as soon as he can get his hands on him.

“Keishin.”

_Speaking of the devil himself..._

Ukai turns to face his grandfather, his gut twisting in apprehension, only to see the old man pocketing his cell phone. The coach has a distant look in his eye, and he eyes Ukai distractedly as he walks towards him and the teacher.

“You did decently enough today,” he says gruffly. “Plenty of room for improvement but it'll do. I'd give you an outline if I could but I was called in on some business, so we'll save that discussion for tomorrow. I've gotta run, so make sure the gym is cleaned and locked up before you head out.”

Ukai nods, relieved but also concerned. His grandfather never left practices early back when he was coaching for Ukai's team. It was a running joke between Ukai and his friends that it would take someone dying in order for Coach to leave before he made sure all the day's work was done.

“Of course, sir,” he says. “Is everything—?”

“Just some important business,” Coach interrupts him firmly, and Ukai falls silent. Clearly it would be a poor decision to pursue an explanation.

“Alright,” Ukai says instead. “I'll make sure everything's taken care of.”

Coach nods absentmindedly, mumbling a quiet thanks as he turns and walks slowly out the door. Ukai watches him go, pondering the exchange worriedly. He hopes everything is alright, but he doubts he'll have an answer any time soon. His grandfather has always been a private person, no matter who is asking about his personal matters. Even Ukai's own father, the coach's son, doesn't know what's going on with the man half the time.

Ukai shakes the thoughts from his head and turns his attention back to Takeda. “Anyways, are you still able to come tonight? I know you've got teacher stuff to do, and after last night I dunno if you need a night in to catch up...?”

“Not at all,” Takeda assures him quickly. “Whatever I didn't get done today, I made sure I'll have time to get done in the morning before class.”

“Oh. Good, then,” Ukai says. He feels like he should say something more than that, like “I'm glad it's still convenient” or maybe even just “I'm glad” but all that comes out is another brief, “Good.”

Takeda smiles up at him, looking as though he wants to laugh. “Very good. I'd like to go home first and get changed. I know it starts soon, but I'd rather not be in my suit if we're going to be outside.”

“Oh, that's fine,” Ukai says hastily. “Don't worry about being a little late, I'll just let the guys know. 'Sides, we always tend to spend a while wasting time before we get started anyways.”

“Thank you, Ukai-kun. Do you mind if I leave you to take care of the rest of this? I don't want to be too late, and the walk is a bit longer home.”

“Not at all!” Ukai tries not to sound so earnest, but it doesn't work. “Uh, if you need I could see if I could borrow the store's delivery car and I can pick you up?”

“Oh, no that's alright. My building is actually pretty close to the address you gave me, so once I get home I should be able to get to your friend's house just fine.”

“Alright, if you're sure.”

“I am.” Takeda smiles at him once again before patting at his pockets. “So, uh, I'll see you when I get there?”

Ukai nods, feeling his own lips twist into a small smile. “Yeah, sure. See yah there.”

It takes some willpower, but he doesn't watch Takeda leave.

The boys are pretty much finished cleaning, and Sawamura walks over to him as the last of the brooms and mops were being put away.

“All done, sir,” he says. “I've got my own set of keys to the gym so I can lock up once we're all finished, if you want to head home, too.”

Ukai shakes his head. “Thanks, but I'll wait till everyone is out. Gramps would throw a fit if he found out I left early.”

To his surprise, Sawamura laughs at his words. “He definitely likes to make sure everything is done as it's supposed to be. This was the first time I ever saw him leave before the very end of practice. He must really trust you.”

Once more, Ukai finds himself floored by this kid, and for a moment he is at a loss for words. He realizes his mouth is hanging open a bit as he stares at Sawamura, and he immediately snaps it shut and looks away before he creeps him out.

“Uh, yeah, I guess,” he says, twiddling with an earring. “At least a little.”

Sawamura laughs again and looks back at the others. “Looks like everything's finished.”

Ukai looks over Sawamura's shoulder and sees that, indeed, everything has been cleaned and put away, and all the students are starting to head for the door. “Alright, shall we go then?”

They follow the others out of the gym, and once they're sure no one is left inside, Sawamura locks the doors. Ukai exchanges polite farewells with several members of the team and is about to embark on his way to Uchizawa's house when he spots Sugawara walking in the opposite direction. The boy is already a good distance from the gym, going at a brisk pace that makes Ukai wonder if he should go after him at all. He hesitates long enough for Suga to disappear over a hill.

“Damn,” he mutters. Perhaps tomorrow. Or maybe he'll just ask Sawamura. They two of them seem to be pretty close, after all.

His phone buzzing in his pocket serves as a distraction, and he takes it out of his pocket to see a message from Mori.

 

** Mori  
** _Yo hrry up n get here weve got things to talk bout before teacher pants gets here_

_Unless hes coming with you (;_

_If thats wuz happenin you need to txt me back so we cn plot_

 

Rolling his eyes, Ukai quickly responds that he's on his way and that, no, Takeda will not be arriving with him. Not all too reassured by Mori's use of the word 'plot' Ukai decides to hurry his pace to Uchizawa's place so he can find out just what his friends have in mind.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I hope you can see where things are going. Let me know if you find any errors. I only proof-read it once cuz I was really wanting to get this out since it's been so long. 
> 
> Feedback is always appreciated :) Thanks to everyone who has stuck around and commented and left kudos. Honestly the following this has gathered is kinda astonishing and just wow. So thank you to everyone. 
> 
> Edit: I also changed some of the tags and the summary, just because I was never really happy with the original ones and I think these ones better portray what the story is really about.   
> Come talk to me on tumblr!  
> thefarfics.tumblr.com

**Author's Note:**

> Like I said I'm trying to get back into writing, so it might not be great at first. Besides, I thought like this might be kinda cute, idk. Let me know what you think if you want, I'm gonna continue no matter what.


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